


Takeshi Matsubara: Boy or Dog?

by dejiko001



Category: Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Dogs, F/M, Humor, Mild Sexual Content, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, POV First Person, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-10-24
Updated: 2012-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:47:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 59,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23601802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dejiko001/pseuds/dejiko001
Summary: Sho wants to get a dog, and he gets one, only Kaoru keeps on feeling strange around him. Not to mention that the dog acts almost…human-like! Kaoru knows something's up, but what is it?
Relationships: Akatsutsumi Momoko/Brick, Boomer/Goutokuji Miyako, Butch/Matsubara Kaoru
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z used in this fanfic and the anime/manga: Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z either.
> 
> Inspiration: marinav92 on FanFiction.Net (FFN).
> 
> This fanfic was originally posted on FFN back in 2009—all the way until 2012.
> 
> Warning: I used to make my A/Ns filled with role-playing scenarios between me, Kaoru, and Butch, occasionally wrote Japanese words in romaji (which sometimes appeared in my writing), and purposely mistyped words due to my habit from the RRBZ x PPGZ chat/video series I made on YouTube during this same time frame, so bear with the 2009 version of me (or skip it all, if you'd like—I totally won't blame you if you do).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: MY NEW BUTCHXKAORU FANFIC! X3
> 
> Kaoru: =_= ButchXKaoru...?
> 
> me: :D yes! ButchXKaoru! X333
> 
> Kaoru: why do i always have to be paired up with that bastard...? =_=
> 
> me: :O Kaoru said a bad word...
> 
> Kaoru: you say it too, you know. -.-
> 
> me: oh yeah! XDD
> 
> Kaoru: =_=
> 
> me: anyway, this is inspired by marinav92...again XDD hehehe X3
> 
> also...you guys might've noticed that the title says: "Takeshi Matsubara: Boy or Dog?"
> 
> you guys notice anything...from that title?
> 
> if you haven't, it's Takeshi XDD
> 
> if you guys read my fanfic: "Kaoru's Missing Thing in Her Life" then you'd know who Takeshi is :D
> 
> oh and this ENTIRE FANFIC will be in Kaoru's Point Of View :3
> 
> i wanna try writing in one point of view so yeah XDD
> 
> anyway, here's the prologue! :D

Yup, today was the day. Today was the day…we get a dog. Yeah, I know. Well, don't look at me—it's because of my little brother, Sho. Ever since I let him meet Peach, he wanted to have a dog for a pet…

I mean, he kept on pestering our mom and dad… Not to mention he kept on pestering me to convince mom and dad!

In case you haven't noticed, I'm Kaoru Matsubara A.K.A Buttercup of the Powerpuff Girls Z. 3 years have passed since the fight with Him so I'm 16 years old now.

And I'm also a junior in high school. Dai isn't here since he's at college so…lucky for him, he doesn't get to experience Sho's pestering.

Of course, mom and dad finally agreed so here we are at the pound. We can't afford those rich high breed dogs or whatever they're called that are sold at pet shops. Plus, some of these pets at this pound are homeless so it'd be helpful if we adopted one of them, you know?

…Wow, I sounded a bit like Miyako there…

Well, not really, but hey, I do like animals. Who doesn't like animals?

Anyway, Sho kept on going around and around just to find the one dog he wants.

I groaned in frustration. "Damn it, will you just hurry up and pick a dog already?"

My mom hit me on the head and scolded me.

"Gomen," I muttered as I looked as Sho kept on going around…until he stopped at this one dog.

I sighed in relief as I came over to where he was. "Well, is this the one you choose?"

Sho nodded. "I choose this one."

I grinned while mom and dad smiled at this. We got the dog out of the cage and mom and dad both signed those adoption papers as Sho was playing with the dog.

"Hey, does the dog have a name?" I asked the clerk.

The clerk shook his head. "No, he doesn't." So the dog's a male, huh? "That dog just arrived here about a week ago. We found it lying on the street and it was practically starving to death."

Apparently Sho heard this since he quickly hugged the dog.

"Since Sho was the one that chose him, how about he chooses the name?" my mom said as she rubbed the dog's head.

"Uh…" my little brother said as he thought for a moment. And then he grinned. "How about Takeshi?"

My mom and dad both smiled as they nodded.

"Takeshi Matsubara…" my dad said. "I like it."

Sho grinned as the three of them went into the car. For some reason, Takeshi hung around me. He was smiling…at me…

But when I bent down and looked at him straight in the eyes…they reminded me…of someone… Unfortunately, I couldn't exactly think of who since my mom was calling me.

Takeshi and I got into the car with them.

As my dad drove us home, I kept on looking at Takeshi and that he reminded me of someone… Also…he was awfully different in the car. You know how normally if dogs get the window seat, they'd sit their head out?

Yeah, well, guess what? The window was down and he wasn't sticking his head out… Not to mention that he was sitting on the seat…almost human-like!

I raised an eyebrow at this and when Takeshi saw me, he immediately stopped sitting all human-like and started sitting all dog-like…if that made any sense…

_Something's up with this dog…but what is it?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: so...how was it? :D
> 
> Kaoru: I don't like it-take it down!
> 
> me: i'm not asking you! it's OBVIOUS that u'd say that anyway! i was asking the readers!
> 
> Kaoru: -.-
> 
> me: anyway, please review :D
> 
> i'd be happy if you did! X3


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: KONICHIWA EVERYONE! :D
> 
> Kaoru: ...yay... chapter 1... =_=
> 
> me: tsk tsk tsk... poor Kaoru...
> 
> Kaoru: aw, shut up, will ya? -.-
> 
> me: :O Kaoru being mean to me!...whatever XP *puts on a bunny costume and starts jumping around like a bunny while saying bunny over and over*
> 
> Kaoru: *sweat drops* what...are you doing?
> 
> me: hehehehehehehe 8D candy... halloween dance... HYPER! 83
> 
> Kaoru: -.-;; no comment...
> 
> me: *continues jumping around while saying bunny*
> 
> Kaoru: *sweat drops even more* anyway...here's chapter 1... -.-

I woke up…due to my damn fricken alarm clock. Damn, I hate school. Well, not really… I just hate the drama we have to put up with it. Not to mention that snotty little bitch named Himeko.

Yes, I know—I called her a bitch. Well, she is one.

I swear, every time she acts all high and mighty, it makes me wanna beat the hell out of her. Of course, who wouldn't?

…Well, except Miyako, of course, since she's nice and all…

Anyway, my mom was calling me from downstairs, telling me to hurry up and get ready for school. Did I also mention that I hate waking up early as well?

There are many things I hate…and dislike. For example: TWILIGHT!

Miyako and Momoko absolutely love it. Really, I don't see what's so great about it! Actually, knowing Momoko, she probably likes it because of the movie and the actors who play Edward Cullen and Jacob Black. As for Miyako, I guess she likes it because it has romance.

As for me…well, I think it's very…how should I put it…? BORING!

As I thought this, I was changing and I saw Takeshi about to enter my room…until he quickly walked back out again. And then he barked too.

It's like he was a teenager who just walked into a girl's room while she's getting changed and then went back out and then say he was sorry.

To me…that's what he sounded like.

When I was done changing, he entered my room, get on my bed, and lay on it.

"Kaoru!"

"What?" I called out. I knew that voice anywhere: Sho.

He came into my room and was about to ask me a question—which I bet he was gonna ask where Takeshi was—until he saw Takeshi on my bed. Obviously, he came over to Takeshi and kept on petting his head.

"Hey Kaoru," Sho said as I was slung my backpack over my shoulder.

"Yeah, Sho?" I asked, looking at him.

"Have you ever noticed that Takeshi looks a bit like you?"

There was silence.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" I asked as I came over and sat down next to him.

"What I mean is that haven't you ever noticed that Takeshi's fur color is like your hair color and his eye color is like your eye color…except that it's darker?"

Now that he's mentioned it, he does kinda look like me…except that Takeshi's a dog (a Labrador, to be exact) and…well, I'm a human!

I shrugged to show that I didn't care, even though I really did. It was like Takeshi was like my long lost…twin! Well, except for the fact that he's a dog but you get what I mean!

* * *

School's as boring as ever. You see, school has already started and here's the downside: I'm not in any of Miyako's and Momoko's classes. In fact, none of us have any classes with each other!

The monster attacks all stopped—shoot, even Mojo stopped attacking. We saw him working at the zoo! We got suspicious of him…until we went back to the lab and told the Professor.

The Professor told us that Mojo has decided to go the side of good and he said that it was because his sons left on some sort of journey or something?

Anyway, I also heard from Momoko that she's crushing on this senpai…a senior senpai. And, as usual, Miyako's the most popular girl in school. As for me, I'm the most athletic girl in this school and all that crap.

The point is that I wanna kick some monster butt and get outta of this fricken classroom, damn it! I'm in science class and I have good grades but…my science teacher is so damn BORING!

He talks in a boring tone, he laughs in a boring tone, he teaches in a boring tone—shoot, everything about him is BORING!

I sighed. I miss the good old days…

I started having flashbacks from the time I became a Powerpuff Girl…the time Momoko, Miyako, and I met the Rowdyruff Boys Z…the time we had to…ugh, I don't even wanna say it!

I shook my head and put my head down on my table.

"Alright now, class be sure to study for tomorrow's quiz," my science teacher said in an oh-so-boring tone.

The class groaned and I was the only one that kept quiet. The reason why?

It was simple: it was because of Takeshi.

And the reason why I was thinking of Takeshi?

It was because he keeps on acting all human-like, damn it!

I heard the bell ring, which interrupted my thoughts, and signaling that it was time for lunch. I grabbed my stuff and was the first one to head out the door. I guess you could say I was in a hurry…but it was really so I could eat my lunch.

When I arrived in the cafeteria, I saw Momoko and Miyako already sitting down on the table, signaling me to come over. When I did, Momoko immediately looked at me with those sparkly eyes.

I sighed, knowing that she wanted something from me. "What do you want, Momoko?"

"Tell us!" she said.

"Tell you guys what?"

"Well, isn't it true that you have a dog?"

There was silence.

"How the hell do you know that?" I asked as I opened my bento box and started eating my lunch.

"Well, Miyako saw Sho walking a dog," Momoko said. She looked at Miyako. "Right, Miyako?"

Miyako nodded…until a boy came up to us. He looked like a freshman and when he saw me and Momoko looking at him, he blushed—probably because of embarrassment. He quickly gave Miyako a letter, bowed (which I have no idea why he'd do that), and walked away.

"Aw… Miyako, you're so lucky to have boys fall for you," Momoko said as she sighed; probably because of depression that no one likes her.

Miyako nodded but sighed.

Momoko and I knew why. It was because that she and Takaaki went out. It was around freshmen year that she confessed to him and guess what? Takaaki confessed his love to her at the same time.

So…they went out. They went out for like 2 years…until around summer that they decided to break up with each other. I have no idea why exactly, but I don't want to know—unlike Momoko here who _does_ wanna know.

That's when our belts start to flash and we knew what to do. We quickly grabbed our lunches, went outside, and transformed when no one was around.

Momoko quickly opened her compact. "Yes, Pr… Wait, Ken…?"

Ken nodded. "It's an emergency! You guys need to head to the lab quickly!"

"Wait, what—"

"No time for questions! Just get over here!"

The screen went black and the three of us nodded. We flew towards the lab. Momoko opened the door as she carried her lunch towards the table. She quickly sat down and began eating.

I sweat dropped. "Momoko…"

"I know, I know; but just let me eat, will ya?" Momoko said.

I sighed and nodded.

Ken came into the room.

"What is it, Ken? What happened?" I asked as I came over to him.

He held up a big jar of licorice inside. "Can you open this for me?"

There was silence as I stared at the jar.

"Ken…" I said as I grinned.

"Yeah, Kaoru?"

I quickly grabbed a hold of his lab coat and lifted him into the air. "IS THIS THE FRICKEN REASON WHY YOU CALLED US?"

"Kaoru, put him down now," I heard someone say.

I turned around and saw the Professor. I sighed and put him down.

Then Ken shook his head. "No, that wasn't the reason why we called you! I just needed you to open this so I can eat the licorice."

I sweat dropped and reluctantly opened the jar for him. He handed me a piece of licorice and I just snatched it outta his hand. I glanced and saw that he was slightly scared; probably thinking that I'm scary when I'm pissed.

The Professor motioned us to come up the stairs so the four of us did. When we looked at the Professor, he had a really serious look on his face. And I mean serious, like he means business.

He sighed and started typing on the computer…thingy. And yes, I called it a thingy… Just deal with it, okay?

"Girls, about a couple of days ago, Peach detected black aura," the Professor said as he continued typing.

There was silence—the only sound was typing until Peach broke it by saying, "It's true da wan! I sensed it da wan!"

I rolled my eyes. "Peach, in case you haven't noticed, there haven't been that many monster attacks here in Tokyo! So how the hell were you able to—"

"Kaoru…"

"Yeah, Professor?"

He hit me on the head. "Language."

I nodded as I rubbed my head and muttered, "Fine…"

"Anyway, I just want you girls to keep a good eye out," the Professor said. "I'm sure that Peach really did sense black aura and—"

"But I did sense black aura da wan!" Peach said before I slightly sweat dropped.

"Uh, yes… Uh, anyway, just be careful."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we know… Can we go now?"

"Jeez, someone's a bit angry today, aren't they?" Momoko said as we left the lab and flew towards the school.

I growled and said, "I'm just pissed cause I didn't get to kick any monster ass, that's all!"

* * *

I sighed as I was walking home—alone. Yes, alone. Momoko had to leave because she wanted to go…be with that senpai and everything and Miyako and I are ready when her heart gets broken…again…while Miyako has to go straight home today.

Not to mention that all of our houses are in three different places…and that Miyako's so-called house is more like a fricken mansion!

Anyway, I arrived home and I was about to enter my room until…I heard something from the kitchen. I tiptoed towards the kitchen and glanced at where I heard the noises coming from.

I peeped out a bit and saw that…Takeshi was pouring himself a box of cereal! AND I MEAN POURING! He was using his front paws, damn it! _His front paws!_ He was using them as if…they were hands or something!

Not to mention he was sitting on the chair all human-like too!

I narrowed my eyes at this so I quickly started stomping my feet in one place, but still kept my eyes on Takeshi.

I saw him flinch when he heard the sound so he quickly got off the chair and started acting all dog-like. I came into the kitchen and bent down.

"So…where's mom, dad, and Sho?" I asked as I pet his head.

The only response I got was a bark.

I stuck my tongue out in a playful way. "You do know that I can't understand a single word you're saying…right?"

The only response I got from him this time was only a blink and him moving his head to the side slightly.

I looked at the table and sighed. "Who's bowl of cereal is this?"

Takeshi barked, as if he was answering me.

I raised my eyebrow at this but laughed and sighed.

I motioned him to come follow me and so he did. I lead him to my room, but he just stopped at the doorway.

"Takeshi, you can come in," I said and he entered. Again, almost like…a human.

I sat down on the bed and threw my backpack towards some corner in my bedroom. I then lied down on the bed, sighing in relief that a day of school was over.

Takeshi came up to my bed and sat down beside me.

I heard the phone ring from downstairs so I quickly ran downstairs. Of course, Takeshi followed me even though I don't know why.

I picked up the phone and said, "Hello?"

"OMG, Kaoru!" I heard someone say over the phone. "Kaoru, did you know?"

"Know what, Momoko?" I asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Ooh… I guess someone's a little cranky that they didn't get to—"

"Will you just shut up and tell me what you wanna know already?!" I snapped at her.

"Jeez… Touchy…"

"Shut up, will ya?"

"Whatever, but anyway, did you know that this Friday's the Full Moon Festival?"

There was silence until I broke it by saying, "So…?"

"What do you mean by 'So…?' huh? Don't you know what this means?"

I frowned slightly and said, "What…?"

"It means that I get to hang out with senpai!" I heard her giggle.

I rolled my eyes. "Look, I'm not going, okay?"

"But…why not?"

"Cause I said so, that's why!"

Before Momoko could say anything, I slammed down the phone on the receiver. I glanced at Takeshi and he was staring at me.

"What is it?" I asked as I raised an eyebrow at him.

He barked a couple of times, as if he was telling me something.

I chuckled and shook my head. "Takeshi, I can't understand a word you're saying, you know."

Takeshi barked twice more, as if he was saying, "I know."

I sighed and went back to my room and lied down on my bed. Takeshi followed me and looked out the window.

I glanced at him. I blinked a couple of times and pretty soon, I closed my eyes and I fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: meep... me wrote a long chappie so you guys should be happy! :D
> 
> Kaoru: o.o what happened to the bunny costume you had...?
> 
> me: :3 you don't need to worry about that... jujujujujujujuju ):3 you need to get used to more ButchXKaoru fanfics appearing here, i mean seriously... XDD
> 
> Kaoru: =_= i blame YOU...
> 
> me: hey, it's not my fault!
> 
> Kaoru: how is it not your fault?
> 
> me: ...i have no idea ^^;
> 
> Kaoru: -.- should've known...
> 
> me: anyway, PLEASE REVIEW! :D


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaoru: -_- I want this over with already...
> 
> me: *ignores Kaoru* Anyway, i'm sorry if the chapter's short D:
> 
> Would've been longer but...i decided to torture you guys again XD
> 
> Kaoru: ...you're mean...
> 
> me: i'm also evil! ):3
> 
> Kaoru: ._.;;;
> 
> me: anyway, go ahead and read :D

A couple of days have passed. Don't ask me how many because I don't keep track, okay? All I knew was that today was the moon festival. What was really annoying was that Momoko kept on saying stuff about the moon festival and everything over and over. Not to mention that she even told me and Miyako plans that she made for her and that senpai. It was _VERY_ annoying.

Not to mention that we have like a weekly test today in Math! Okay, not really. You see, my math teacher is…well, an old lady. She expects us to finish ONE ENTIRE LESSON in our math books IN ONE DAY! And if we don't finish the lesson, we'd have to do it as HOMEWORK.

And if we lie to her that we did our homework and she finds out we didn't do it, she'll give us an after school detention—punishment for lying to her.

But something happened to her so now we have this really nice substitute who's gonna stay for the whole entire school year. She's really awesome, trust me. I think my math teacher got fired or something… Something about her making a male student sit on her lap, which is like sexual harassment or something…

Okay, anyway, MOVING ON…I'm at home now. Thank God too because I can't stand to hear Momoko continue talking about that senpai over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over AND OVER! (Whoops, snapped right there, didn't I? Sorry about that.)

I sighed as I flipped through channels, trying to find a good show to watch. _Law & Order: Criminal Intent_ and _Law & Order: Special Victims Unit_ wasn't on today, which really sucks, if you ask me. I kind of like _Law &_ _Order_ and plus, it passes time and I'd rather watch _Law &_ _Order_ than listen to Momoko continue to talk about that senpai.

My mother came into the living room. She sat down on the couch next to me and raised an eyebrow as she watched me flip through the channels. "Just what are you doing, Kaoru?"

I shrugged. "Just flipping through channels, I guess. There's nothing to do."

"Well, you could come with us to the Full Moon Festival then."

"Nah," I said, shaking my head, having a calm look on my face. The real reason why I don't wanna go was that Mom might try to dress me up again and if I told Miyako or Momoko that I was going, they'd try to dress me up too.

I actually really do wanna go but…me going in a kimono or skirt or dress, NUH-UH. No way.

"Are you sure?" Mom asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure."

My mom sighed and nodded. She left the living room, which left me all alone in the living room.

Actually, I had another reason why I had to stay home: I wanted to observe Takeshi. I mean, every time I come home from school, I'd find a bowl or plate along with a spoon or fork in the sink!

The only "person" at home was Takeshi. Hey, if your dog was acting like Takeshi was, you'd be suspicious of it too, wouldn't you? Any person who'd not notice their dog acting strangely is… Uh, I'm not gonna finish that… I don't want to offend anyone.

Anyway, as soon as I heard my mom call after me that I shouldn't open the door to strangers, all I said back was that I knew. I mean, I already knew since I've been home alone a couple times already!

I heard Mom close the door and watched as they drew towards the middle of town so I quickly turned off the TV and glanced at the clock. 7:30 P.M. is what it said.

Sighing, I got up and went to my room. I mean, since I don't have any homework (yeah, I know, how awesome is that?) I don't have anything else to do except chores. Mom decided that we didn't have to any chores over the weekend thanks to the Full Moon Festival.

So…I actually had nothing to do at all. NOTHING.

When I opened the door to my bedroom, I found Takeshi already asleep on the left side of it. I grinned and decided to sleep next to Takeshi, since I didn't want to wake him up.

Lying down on the bed, my eyes slowly closed and I fell asleep.

* * *

I felt something hit my leg so I had to wake up because of that. When my eyes were fully open, I found out that I was facing the other way and not towards Takeshi as I glanced at the alarm clock. It read 10:30 P.M. so I turned around, found a boy sleeping next to me and went to sleep…

WAIT, WHAT?!

I opened my eyes again and found a _naked_ boy. _NAKED._

"WHAT THE HELL?!" I yelled as I got up and turned around.

I heard the boy stir. "Hey, could you not make any noise, Kaoru? I'm trying to sleep here…"

I turned around to face him but then remembered that he was naked so I had to turn back around. "Who the hell are you and why are you in my room?"

I didn't hear an answer from him but instead, he just said, "Hey, are you okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "JUST PUT ON SOME DAMN CLOTHES ALREADY!"

"Fine, fine," I heard him say as he got up from bed. After a couple of seconds, he told me to turn around and I did.

The only thing that he was wearing was shorts. Well, to be exact, Dai's shorts that no longer fit him. His hair was spiked up and he had dark green eyes. He looked around seventeen or eighteen. His eyes…reminded me of someone but I just couldn't think of whom…

Of course, since he was _only_ wearing shorts, it meant that he wasn't wearing a shirt and DAMN, is he ripped!

Oh…FUCK. I'M CHECKING HIM OUT. No, I'm turning into Momoko now! T-That's like…BAD. I DON'T WANNA BE GIRLY!

The boy sighed and walked over to my bedroom window, wearing a calm expression on his face. "Hey, when do your parents get back?"

I frowned and ignored the question. I mean, why the hell would he wanna know that? "Who are you?"

He looked at me and grinned. "It's none of your business."

I scowled and then left the room to go search for Takeshi. We didn't have a doggie door or whatever it's called for Takeshi yet so he couldn't have left the house…could he? I ran around the house, searching for Takeshi but it was a failure. I sat down on the couch and glanced at the boy coming downstairs.

"You aren't going to find him anyway, you know," the boy said as he leaned against the wall, still having that calm expression on his face. Somehow, I feel like punching him.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Just who are you talking about?"

"The dog," the boy said, deep in thought about something.

"I never said anything about a dog…" I muttered and then pointed my finger at him as I narrowed my eyes at him. "You did something to Takeshi, didn't you?"

The boy blinked a couple times at me but then sighed. "You know, it's rude to point a finger at someone."

I scowled. "Answer my question!"

"Why should I?" The boy said, smirking at me. Damn, he's _really_ starting to remind me of someone but I still can't put my finger on it! Curse me of not remembering!

"Cause…I said so!"

"That isn't a good reason," the boy scoffed.

"I don't care! Just tell me what you've done with Takeshi!"

"No."

"Why not, damn it?"

"I don't want to," he said, sticking his tongue out at me. I frowned and ran up to him, hitting him over and over. "Ow, ow, why do you have to be violent, huh?"

I growled. "Then tell me where Takeshi is!"

"He'll be back," he said and I stopped hitting him. "All I know is that he'll be back."

"When?"

The boy sighed. "And why should I tell you when?"

"Cause I'm his family, that's why!"

The boy stared at me for a couple of seconds and then glanced at the clock. "I better go." He started going upstairs so I followed after him, wondering why he needs to go.

When he went into my room, he glanced at me as he was taking out Dai's old clothes. I guess you're wondering why Dai's clothes were there.

Well, you see, Mom kept on pestering me to buy girly clothes and I'd always say no and since Dai's old clothes don't fit him anymore, Mom let me have them.

The boy continued to go through my clothes until he found a black jacket (which was Dai's) and a dark green t-shirt (again, also Dai's).

I frowned. "Where are you going?"

He glanced at me but then put on the shirt and jacket as he faced me. He put his hand on my forehead and I tried to pull away, but his hand was still there. Damn, he's strong…

He leaned in and whispered into my ear, "It's better this way, Kaoru…"

"W-Wait—" I began but then I suddenly felt sleepy. My eyes slowly closed and I fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: Ano...again sorry if the chapter was short! ^^;
> 
> Kaoru: =_= U HAD TO MAKE HIM NAKED?!
> 
> me: yes ):3 cuz i know u'd be embarrassed XD you even checked him out XD
> 
> Kaoru: CUZ U MADE ME!
> 
> me: ):3 jujujujuju. well, that's it :D got anything to say Kaoru? n_n
> 
> Kaoru: -_- nothing...
> 
> me: o_o u sure?
> 
> Kaoru: *nods* -.- *mumbles something under breath*
> 
> me: o_o;;; okay... ano...PLEASE REVIEW! n_n


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: WHOO-HOO, I'M ON A ROLL! :DD
> 
> I UPDATED "KMTiHL" YESTERDAY AND NOW TODAY, IT'S THIS! :OOOOOOO
> 
> Kaoru: ...Forgive her... Somehow...she got into her hyper mode again...
> 
> me: YESH, I DID! 83 *starts jumping around and sings "Lollipop" by Big Bang featuring 2NE1*
> 
> Kaoru: ...Oh God...
> 
> me: YOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSHHHHHHH! 8DD
> 
> HERE'S THE NEXT CHAAAAAPPPPPPPPTEEERRR~ :3333333333

"…Kaoru…Kaoru…Kaoru!"

I felt someone shaking me so I quickly woke up and was about to glare at whoever it was until someone squirted water onto my face.

"Oops." I opened one eye and saw that it was Sho so I frowned—until I remembered what happened last night.

Well, I _think_ it happened last night… It seems too _real_ to _not_ be real…if that made any sense at all…which I hope it did because for some reason, I'm getting confused of just thinking about it!

"Kaoru, are you going to eat or not?" Sho asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

I sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be down soon."

Sho nodded and was about to go downstairs until I told him to come back for a second.

"Yeah, Kaoru?" He asked, blinking a couple of times at me.

"Uh…have you seen Takeshi?" I asked slowly.

Sho had a confused look on his face and nodded slowly. "He's downstairs in the kitchen. When Mom, Dad, and I came home, we found him asleep on your bed and you were sleeping near it." He nodded his head towards my legs.

I glanced down and saw that I was on the floor…which…proved that last night was just a dream? Wait, it couldn't have been a dream, though! It seemed too…real…

Sho was already heading downstairs and I was still wondering if what I had experienced last night was a dream or not. I quickly shook my head.

I just probably didn't get enough sleep last night… Yeah, that's probably the reason why. I mean, if I didn't get enough sleep last night, I probably imagined what happened last night!

Yeah…I'm not hallucinating or anything; I'm not going crazy. It was just a freaking dream… I slowly got up and walked towards the bathroom and got ready. Shoot, I even changed.

When I went downstairs, I saw that Sho and Takeshi weren't in the kitchen and Dad wasn't anywhere as well, so I asked Mom where they were.

"The three of them are outside," Mom said as she was cooking…something. I couldn't see what she was cooking since I was too busy eating my own breakfast. In fact, I was eating it kind of quickly.

I don't know why I was eating fast. Wait, did I even eat dinner last night? Uh, I can't remember… And I usually remember those kinds of things…

I sighed and pretty soon, I finished eating my breakfast, told my mom thanks for the breakfast, and went upstairs to my room. When I looked out the window, I saw Takeshi and Sho playing while Dad was running back inside; probably getting something.

I frowned, not because of them playing. I wasn't jealous or anything—just confused. I mean…the dream (if it was even a dream or not) just seemed too real for me to think that it's just a dream.

I mean…I could still feel that guy's hand on my forehead… No, I don't mean that as in I'm starting to fall for him. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO THE HELL HE IS!

I glanced out the window again and saw that Dad, Sho, and Takeshi were still playing… WAIT. The boy wore Dai's shorts! That's how I'll know if it was real or not! I quickly went to my closet and opened it immediately. Luckily, I didn't need to dig through my clothes just to find that one pair.

The reason you ask? Well, guess what?

Dai's pair of shorts weren't there, which meant one thing: What happened last night wasn't a dream—it was _real_.

Before I could even manage to think anything else, I heard my compact so I immediately opened it. "Yeah, Professor?"

"Come here quickly, Kaoru," Professor said, "and fast."

Before I could answer back, the screen went black, so I just frowned and quickly got dressed into black sweats and a light green t-shirt. Running down the stairs, I told Mom that I'd be out for a while and I'd be back in a bit. Of course, I didn't hear what she said back since I had already ran out of the house.

I was thinking of transforming into Buttercup but I couldn't since someone would most likely see me so all I did was just run as fast as I could and believe me, I could run.

Before I knew it, I had reached the Professor's house…or lab. I couldn't tell since he does experiments in his own house. Before I was about to ring the doorbell, Ken had opened it for me and I went inside.

I glanced up and saw that the Professor was gesturing me to go upstairs so I did. Of course, Peach and Ken followed me as well.

I glanced around. "Where's Momoko and Miyako?"

"They're each out at the moment," the Professor said. "For some reason, neither of them responded to their compacts so I'm worried."

"So…that's the reason you told me to come here quickly?" I said angrily as I frowned.

The Professor shook his head and nodded his head towards Ken, who I then looked at.

Ken sighed and said, "Well, last night, Peach detected black aura…"

"Again?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

Ken nodded and sighed. I think he was a bit bored due to him not being able to build that much stuff as much before. Peach had a look of concern on his face. In fact, it looked like he were keeping something from us.

"I'm worried that maybe…something happened to Miyako and Momoko," the Professor said with a look of concern on his face.

I sighed. "Well, I'm pretty sure Miyako's out shopping and because she's a bit dense, she probably left it at home by accident since barely any monsters are attacking anymore. As for Momoko…I think she's…out…and she probably doesn't want to answer her compact…" I sweat dropped a bit.

The Professor frowned for a bit but then he suddenly had a serious look on his face. "However, I'm pretty sure Peach wouldn't lie about black aura in the city, Kaoru."

I didn't say anything except sigh and glance at Peach a couple of times. The Professor told me to go search the city, since Miyako and Momoko still weren't responding to their compacts.

I transformed, flew out the lab, and searched the city. Everything looked normal; same people, same buildings, same everything. Nothing was damaged here in the city…

Could Peach have been lying?

NAH, he couldn't. Peach was too nice for that. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't…

Wait…what the…?

I heard giggling coming from a distance. Not to mention they sounded really familiar! When I looked that direction, I saw that Momoko and Miyako were talking to two guys. One of them had orange hair and the other had blonde hair. I couldn't see the details from that far away so I quickly landed onto the ground.

I ran over there to where they were, which is in the park. I stood behind a tree and watched them. The two of them were smiling and looked like they were having fun. (Wow, I'm acting a bit of a stalker right now, aren't I? Well, I'm NOT.)

"Hey, just what the hell are you doing?"

I turned around quickly in a panic to find that a boy was standing behind me.

He looked around seventeen or eighteen, his hair was spiked up, and he had dark green eyes. What's even more was that he had a dark green t-shirt on along with Dai's shorts, which meant one thing…

THIS IS THE SAME FREAKING GUY THAT WAS IN MY ROOM LAST NIGHT!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: I AM SORRY IF IT'S SHORT! D:
> 
> I DEEECIDED TO TORTURE YOU GUYS AGAIN~ :3
> 
> I KNOW, I AM SOOO EVIL~ 8D
> 
> Kaoru: ...Evil as hell...
> 
> me: YOOOOOOOOOSSSSHHHH! THAT'S ITTT~ GOT ANYTHING TO SHAY, KAORU-CHAN~ :D
> 
> Kaoru: -.- Yeah, I'm confused. Takeshi is Butch, right?
> 
> me: Yesh~ :3
> 
> Kaoru: And the boy who was in my room in the previous chapter was Butch, right?
> 
> me: YESH~ :D! YOU'RE GOOD, KAORU-CHAN! :DD
> 
> Kaoru: ...And since you just ended the chapter with the cliffhanger...the boy is the same boy from my room, right? Wouldn't that mean he's Butch as well? And wouldn't that mean that there are TWO Butchs? o.e
> 
> me: ...that I can't say :P
> 
> Kaoru: YOU'RE TALKING NORMALLY NOW! FINALLY!
> 
> me: XD Can't say...or else I'll spoil of the future chapters~ ;3
> 
> Kaoru: ... -_- So you had to end the chapter with a cliffhanger?
> 
> me: Yesh XDD! Everything will be explained later on in this fanfic~ ;3
> 
> SO PLEASE REVIEW! :DDD
> 
> (P.S. - Expect more updates now that winter break has started for me! :DD)


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: OMG, I UPDATED SLOW AGAIN! D:
> 
> I NEED TO UPDATE FASTER BECAUSE I STILL NEED TO UPDATE "KMTiHL" AND THIS FANFIC AGAIN; NOT TO MENTION I NEEDZ TO UPDATE MY OTHER TWO FANFICS~~~
> 
> Kaoru: ...She's in her hyper mode again...
> 
> me: YESH, I AM. NOT MY FAULT IF I AM~ ;3
> 
> Kaoru: ...Did you eat candy this morning?
> 
> me: NOOOOO D:
> 
> WHAT MAKES YOU SHAY THAT?
> 
> Kaoru: ...Chocolate?
> 
> me: CANDY IS CHOCOLATE~ I NEVER EAT CANDY IN THE MORNING~
> 
> Kaoru: ...THEN HOW THE HELL ARE YOU HYPER?!
> 
> me: I'M HYPER...because I wanna be XD! I was just teasing ya XDD
> 
> Kaoru: -_- ON WITH THE CHAPTER!
> 
> me: Hey, that's my line! D:
> 
> Kaoru: Too bad, so sad! -.-
> 
> me: DX

I blinked a couple times at the guy. I mean, WHAT THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSE TO FUCKING SAY?! He probably saw my face last night… AND HE KNEW MY FREAKING NAME! How the hell did he know anyway?! Not to mention he was _staring_ at me… God, I have this creepy feeling all of a sudden now.

"I asked you a question, Buttercup," the boy growled, frowning at me.

I blinked a couple of times. "You don't recognize me?"

"Recognize you? You and the other Powerpuff Girls Z are practically everywhere in this city, you know."

I looked at my clothes and then realized that I was still Buttercup, not Kaoru Matsubara. Wait, that means I panicked over nothing then. GAH, I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!

"Will you answer my question already?" The boy growled again.

"What question?" I asked, frowning at him.

The boy groaned. "Just what the hell are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be patrolling the city instead of stalking someone?"

I scowled but didn't answer him, which caused him to get more ticked at me. "You know what, I have to go."

"Sure, sure," the boy said, walking away from me. "You should've just answered my question."

"I don't need to answer it because it's none of your business," I spat at him before I flew away and went back to the lab. I told the Professor everything was alright and that Momoko and Miyako were just hanging out.

Of course, the Professor—being the father of the Powerpuff Girls Z—asked me who and when I told him that it was two boys that I didn't know, he started to panic. I mean it, he did! Seeing the Professor like this makes me think if my father will be like this if I had a boyfriend… In case you're wondering, no, I don't have a boyfriend and no, I'm not a lesbian for not having a boyfriend. Stupid stereotypes…

I sighed and untransformed right then and there. "Bye, Professor." Of course, I don't think he really heard me since he was too busy panicking A.K.A skipping to conclusions…

I left the house and started walking back to my house. When I got back and went inside, I saw that Takeshi was sleeping happily on the floor. The good thing was that Takeshi wasn't hurt from that guy, if he did anything to him. I'm just lucky that I was still Buttercup when I met him… I mean, if I met him as Kaoru…

I shuddered slightly and heard my mother coming downstairs, calling me. "Yeah, Mom?"

"Kaoru, where are Dai's shorts?" Mom asked.

I blinked a couple of times at her, sweat dropping a bit. I couldn't freaking tell her, "Oh, some naked boy I don't know was in my room last night and apparently, he took Dai's shorts!" I CAN'T TELL HER THAT! SHE'S FREAK! Or worse…SHE'LL JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS THAT I SLEPT WITH HIM OR SOMETHING!

"…Kaoru…Kaoru…KAORU!"

I blinked a couple times again. "Uh, yes?"

"Where are Dai's shorts? Apparently, Dai just called and said that the shorts I lent you to wear were his lucky shorts…"

Lucky? He's lucky enough to pass high school and it's amazing enough that he's in college already…

"I, uh, think it's somewhere in my room," I lied. I didn't like lying to her, but for the sake of me not being girly and my father not freaking out, I'll take that chance. "I'll…go check."

Before Mom could say anything, I dashed up into my room and closed the door _gently_. I couldn't slam the door; if I did, my parents will think I'm pissed or something. Anyway, I jumped onto my bed and groaned.

I didn't want to do this at all. Oh wait, it's Sunday… Crap, I still need to do my reading homework… Then again, I can always read later or fake reading… I sighed and looked over at the alarm clock.

Weekends are so boring…especially when you have nothing to do and I'd rather be outside right now but no. I need to go find out who the hell that guy was and I need to find out HOW he got into my room.

I heard scratching on my bedroom door and whimpering, so I went over and opened the door and in came Takeshi. He jumped onto my bed and then faced me, like he wanted to tell me something.

I sighed and sat down on the floor. "Takeshi, where were you last night?"

He barked a couple of times, but I couldn't understand a single word he was saying. Then again, I could ask Miyako to translate what he's saying for me, but then I'll have to tell her what happened last night, which will lead to Momoko finding out and I don't want that.

I sighed. "Takeshi, did you know there was a boy in my room last night? He looked around seventeen or eighteen and he was wearing Dai's shorts… What was weird was that he knew my name… Do you know him?"

This time, Takeshi didn't bark. He just stared at me for a couple of seconds and then went towards the window. He looked out and barked as his tail was wagging.

I frowned. Takeshi either was hiding something or he just got annoyed with me asking him these questions that he didn't even know the answer too… I'm gonna go with the second one. It just makes more sense to me.

Before I could call Takeshi to come back, the phone rang and I immediately answered it. "Hello?"

"Kaoru? Oh hi!" It was Momoko. Great… (Notice the sarcasm in my voice.)

I sighed. "What do you want, Momoko?"

"Yeah, uh, well, uh, I was wondering if you could do me and Miyako a tiny favor."

"Favor?"

"Yeah, a favor."

"What's the favor?"

"Well, uh…"

"Momoko, don't stall; tell me what it is already."

"Well, you see, Miyako and I are going to hang out with these two guys…"

Guys? Oh, she's probably talking about those two guys I saw earlier with them, the orange-haired one and the blond-haired one. "Momoko, you shouldn't hang out with strangers, especially guys you just met. For all we know, they could try to rape you or something."

"Yeah, but Miyako knows one of them!"

"Oh, well, that's different then."

"Yeah, anyway, can you just come over to the park, like, right now?"

"Why?"

"No questions; just come over already!"

I heard a dial tone, which meant she hung up on me, so I sighed and told Takeshi to go downstairs since I'm going out…again.

He left the room as I closed the door and went downstairs. I told my mom that I was going out and before she could say a word back, I had already ran out of the house, not bothering to lock the door.

I was running towards the park now, which makes me really use my skateboard but I can't since Sho broke it when he was using it to play with Takeshi… When I got there, I looked around and saw where Momoko and Miyako were so I went over there.

"What do you guys what?" I snapped at them.

"Well, Miyako and I are going on a double date," Momoko said, smiling as ever and hearts were in her eyes.

"What the…? What about that senpai?"

Momoko scoffed. "It turns out that he has a girlfriend. THAT CHEATER!"

 _Momoko…you weren't even dating him in the first place…_ I wanted to say that to her, but I don't want to break her heart even more.

"Anyway, Miyako and I are gonna go with Takeo-kun and Takumi," Momoko said, still smiling.

"Takeo? Takumi?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Momoko nodded and then nodded her head towards the two guys that were talking to each other. They were about a yard away from us.

"And why did you want me to come here?" I snapped.

"Well, we didn't want you to be left out," Momoko said.

Miyako nodded. "So we asked Takeshi-san to hang out with you."

I blinked a couple of times. "TAKESHI?!"

Miyako nodded slowly. "Yes, Takeshi-san."

"Miyako would be calling him by his last name, but Takumi insisted that she calls them by their first names," Momoko said.

"Takeshi," I said. "Takeshi?!"

"What's so wrong with having Takeshi for a name?" Momoko asked.

I shook my head. "It's just that…Takeshi's the name of my dog."

Momoko shrugged. "So? Lots of people have the same names. It's also possible for them to have the same last name as well."

"Yeah but… Oh, forget it."

Momoko shrugged again. "Anyway, Takeshi's the guy sitting near the fountain."

I didn't bother to look so I just nodded before the two left to go on their double date. I sighed and turned around.

I frowned. The only guy that was sitting near the fountain was the SAME guy that was in room last night and the SAME guy I saw earlier. DAMN IT. I can't hang out with him of all people!

Then I saw that three girls came over to him and you should've seen the way they dressed. The three of them were wearing short skirts (not that short, but you get what I mean) and they each were wearing those V t-shirts. You know the one that…yeah.

I sighed and reluctantly went over to him, hearing part of their conversation. Apparently, those three girls were trying to get him to hang out with them, which I don't get why they want to in the first place.

Then I saw him glance over at me, which caused the three girls to glare at me. I mean, WTF?! I didn't do anything and yet they're just glaring at me! Oh wait, I'm walking over to him…

"Hi Kaoru," he said as he looked at me, smirking.

I flinched. Not because of him smirking but because of how he's able to know my name… OH GOD, HE'S NOT A STALKER OR ANYTHING, IS HE?! Wait, he can't be; if he was, then he'd know what I'd do every morning and everything…

"How the hell do you know my name?" I snapped at him.

Before I knew it, he was behind me and he whispered, "Aw, don't be silly by asking me that question. I'm your boyfriend, after all."

WHAT THE?! BOYFRIEND?!

Before I could say anything back to him, the three girls were…CRYING. I mean it! They were! And so…they just walked away and when they were fully out of our sight, the boy sighed in relief.

I turned around and faced him. "How the hell do you know my name? And—"

"If we're gonna talk, we may as well go somewhere else," the boy said. (I know I'm calling him "boy"… I just still can't believe that his name is Takeshi though…)

"Fine," I muttered, resisting the urge to punch him for some reason and before I knew it, I was following him to…wherever we were going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: To make up for the previous chapter being kind of short, I made this chapter...a BIT...longer... ._.
> 
> A LITTLE BITTT!
> 
> Kaoru: -.-
> 
> me: XD Anyway, REVIEW PEOPLE!


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: ...Oh fudge, it took me a year to update this o_o. I apologize...but I've been mainly focusing on my other fanfic "KMTiHL" so I hope you were reading that while it took me like a year to update this :'D.
> 
> Kaoru: The only reason she's updating this is because she lost a bet -.-
> 
> Me: -3- They aren't supposed to know that, Kaoru!
> 
> Kaoru: Does it look like I even CARE?
> 
> Me: You SHOULD because I can make you do things in this fanfic!
> 
> Kaoru: ...
> 
> Me: *grins* Ah, well, enjoy the update :3.

I frowned as I stared at the ice cream cone that was in my hand. I licked it and glanced over at Takeshi (I'm no longer calling him "boy" because me saying "boy" over and over is slightly annoying me somehow) sitting next to me. He was eating his chocolate ice cream cone.

We were in an ice cream shop and don't ask me how we got here… To be honest, I just followed him and that was it. I didn't ask him anything yet because of…well…THE STUPID ANNOYING GIRLS SURROUNDING HIM!

I glanced over at Takeshi and he was _still_ being surrounded by a group of girls in a circle, for crying out loud! You can obviously tell that I'm pissed at this.

I'm not saying that I'm jealous—I'm saying that I'm pissed because the girls were pissing me off (so much that my left eye was twitching).

"Hey, will all of you just go away?" I yelled at the group of girls. They glared at me, some of them even pouting, but just ignored me by talking with Takeshi.

I groaned and glancing back, I saw that Takeshi was enjoying all of this, of course (I'm guessing he's a playboy?) and eventually, I heard a voice—a voice that I could _never_ forget in a million years.

"Takeshi-kun, I didn't know that you were here!" a girl squealed, quickly walking through the circle of girls and quickly wrapping her arms around him. And guess who that girl was? It was none other than HIMEKO.

Why her out of all of the girls out there? She pisses me off the most—seriously! Three years seriously made some changes to her— _literally_ , except for her attitude, of course.

Instead of having those two big old buns on her head, she wore her hair down and now, it was all flowing (Momoko and I thought her hair was practically unable to be combed so we'd make jokes about it whenever Himeko wasn't around to hear) but her shirt was none other than a V-shirt, along with skinny jeans and some jewelry. To top it off, she actually had the kind of body most guys would lust after, which was surprising.

Takeshi sighed annoyingly, which caused her to pout. "Not now, Himeko; go away."

"B-But…"

"I told you to go away, didn't I?" he snapped at her, frowning, which surprised me a bit; he didn't seem to strike me as the type of guy that would actually be a bit harsh, but then again, this is Himeko so I have no problem with it.

Before I knew it, I heard a slap and saw that Himeko had actually slapped him. The girls looked at shock of what Himeko had done and immediately, they started backing away and left the shop.

Himeko scoffed. "Fine, be that way and here I thought that maybe the two of us could get back together!"

My eyes went wide at this. _T-Together? So they went out? She actually had this dude for a boyfriend? Oh God, please tell me that I'm dreaming!_

Takeshi glared at her, causing her to flinch slightly and growled out, "I don't think you've heard me, you little bitch. Get the hell out of my sight or I will seriously kick your ass."

Himeko didn't respond at this at all, except that she appeared to be shocked. She glanced at me and glared; I don't know what the hell she was thinking about, but whatever it was, I didn't care because she had already left the shop in a flash.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "So, you mind explaining to me?"

"Huh? Explain what?" he asked, his eyes closed as he was licking his ice cream.

"Explain why the hell you know my name!"

He opened one eye and stopped licking his ice cream, causing me to frown slightly because he then grinned as both of his eyes were opened, revealing them to be dark green (which is strange because I seriously feel like I've seen them before).

"It's simple; your friends told me," he replied, still grinning.

Crap, I feel stupid right now; there was no point in me asking that question since Momoko and Miyako probably told him!

"Okay then… Explain why the hell you were in my room on the night of the festival," I spat at him, still frowning due to his grin (it seriously made me feel like punching him).

He raised an eyebrow at me. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't lie to me! You were in my room! A-And you were…" My voice trailed off as I recalled the memory in my head.

_I felt something hit my leg so I had to wake up because of that. When my eyes were fully open, I found out that I was facing the other way and not towards Takeshi as I glanced at the alarm clock. It read_ _10:30 P.M._ _so I turned around, found a boy sleeping next to me and went to sleep…_

_WAIT, WHAT?_

_I opened my eyes again and found a_ naked _boy._ NAKED.

I felt my face heat up slightly and when I had snapped back into reality, I saw that he was grinning at me, causing me to frown.

"Ooh, so you've known me before, huh?"

"W-What? No! Hell no!"

"Aw, if you've been having wet dreams about me—"

I immediately punched him on the head, causing him to get knocked off the seat and fall onto the ground, along with his ice cream falling onto the ground as well.

"What the hell, you freaking pervert! Don't say those kinds of things in public, don't you know that?" I exclaimed at him.

"Sheesh, a guy can't joke around every once in a while?" he asked back as he got up, but immediately frowned as soon as he saw that his ice cream was on the ground and pointed to it. "Hey, you owe me, you know."

"I don't care!"

He rolled his eyes. "Look, whatever you're talking about me being in your room, you've got to be mistaken, okay? I'm guessing that you probably had dreamt the whole thing."

I blinked a couple of times but then shook my head. "I was not dreaming." I immediately pointed to the shorts. "Explain the shorts then."

"Oh, these? I bought them yesterday," he replied.

I frowned at this but I knew that I did not dream what had happened.

"Well, do you have any other weird questions to ask me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

I shook my head and looked away, but when I looked back, I saw that he was smirking at me and so, I raised an eyebrow at him. "What is it?"

"Since you don't care about you making me drop my ice cream"—he once again pointed to the ice cream on the floor—"can I eat yours then?"

I blinked a couple of times at him. I mean, he likes ice cream that much? However, I just rolled my eyes at him and gave him my ice cream, watching him lick it over and over and eventually, he finished it.

"So," he began, "I'm guessing that your friends tricked you somehow?"

"Nah, not exactly; one of my friends told me that I have to do a favor for her and, well, this is the favor."

"Huh," I heard him reply and before I could say anything, he continued on, "you know, my brothers said that your friends probably had someone as hot as them and, well, it's _you_."

I frowned at him. "What the hell is that supposed to me?"

"What I mean is that you look like a dude, for crying out loud. I swear, if my brothers and your friends didn't tell me that you were a girl, I seriously would've mistaken you for one."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"That and that you're not hot," Takeshi said, sighing before dodging my punch towards his head and he smirked. "Sheesh, you're gonna have to do better than that, Kaoru."

I growled at him and before I knew it, I heard one of the employees immediately come over (this employee was a girl). I could tell that she was about to scold me, but when she saw Takeshi, she immediately ran behind the counter and grabbed paper towels and etc. in order to clean up the mess.

Rolling my eyes at this, I sighed but frowned at Takeshi. "So, Himeko's your ex-girlfriend, huh?"

He blinked a couple of times at me and nodded slowly.

"So what made you go out with her in the first place?"

"I'm not telling," he replied, quickly getting up.

"What… Why not?" I exclaimed at him, getting up as well.

"Well, it's none of your business so don't ask again." Before I knew it, he grabbed my hand, leading me out of the shop and onto the streets of the city.

"It may not be any of my business," I said as we were walking down the street, "but Himeko goes to my school so you going out with Himeko is making me curious."

He sighed softly and muttered something that I couldn't hear so I told him that I couldn't hear him and that he should speak louder.

"I did it to make a girl that I like jealous, alright?" He said, leading me by walking towards the same park of where Momoko and Miyako told me to go to for Momoko's "favor" and the same one of where I met Takeshi as Buttercup earlier today.

I blinked a couple of times and told him to go on.

He sighed once again and I could see him blushing slightly. "I…I thought that maybe she'd notice me and maybe be a bit jealous instead of thinking of me as a little nuisance in her life, but in the end, she didn't. And so, I broke up with Himeko, who was practically devastated but I didn't care; I mean, I knew that she was cheating on me anyway since I saw her make out with some dude I didn't even know before."

"Did you even tell her that you liked this girl?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I didn't; I was scared of what she might think…"

"So…you still like her now?"

I saw him look away and I could tell that he really did still like her, even though he didn't respond. Wow… This dude's stubborn; he won't tell her how he feels but he won't give up on her.

The two of us sat down on a bench nearby and before I could ask him who this girl was that he liked, I heard someone call out my name and it was none other than Momoko and Miyako, along with Takeshi's brothers.

"So, did you two have a good time?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Momoko had hearts in her eyes and I sweat dropped so I looked at Miyako, who simply smiled and nodded.

"Takeshi, let's go!" the orange-haired one called out, waving his hand in the air.

Takeshi sighed and got up, quickly winking at me. "See you later, Kaoru." He ran off towards the two and the three walked away.

"Sheesh, no wonder that dude has so many girls liking him," I muttered. "He's a flirt!"

Immediately, I saw Momoko having a grin on her face. "Ooh, do I sense that Kaoru is jealous?"

"I'm not jealous; I just met the dude!"

"And I met Takeo-kun earlier, but I'm in love with him now."

Frowning at this, I scoffed. "Whatever; the Professor was worrying about you two, you know, since you two weren't answering his calls."

"Oh, Miyako and I accidentally left them at home," Momoko said, laughing nervously. Miyako nodded, sweat dropping while smiling nervously.

I groaned at this and immediately stood up, telling that I'd talk to them later as I headed back to my house.

* * *

I lay on my bed as I looked at the ceiling, sighing as I looked out the window and realized that it was already evening so I looked at my alarm clock, which read: 7:30 P.M.

_"Look, whatever you're talking about me being in your room, you've got to be mistaken, okay? I'm guessing that you probably had dreamt the whole thing."_

_No, I didn't dream it! I'm sure of it!_ I thought and looked at my closet. Quickly, getting up, I opened it and saw that Dai's shorts were there. I blinked a couple of times as I sat down slowly on the floor.

Slapping my forehead, I heard Takeshi (my dog, not the dude) walk in, panting as his tail was wagging. He looked at me and cocked his head to the side.

I sighed and petted Takeshi's head, saying out loud, "Maybe I really was dreaming it…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Well, hope you liked it!...Did you o3o?
> 
> Kaoru: I didn't -.-
> 
> Me: I wasn't asking for your opinion because I knew that you'd say that!
> 
> Kaoru: *rolls eyes* Okay, I want this over with already -.-
> 
> Me: Yeah, yeah... z.z *is tired because I finished this at the last minute and it's late X'D* Mmm, I'm gonna go to bed now so g'night guys! (Oh and review please!)


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: ...And once again...it took me nearly a year to update this ._. I apologize to the readers of this fanfic QAQ.
> 
> Kaoru: I'm happy you took so long, to be honest -w-.
> 
> Me: Your opinion does not matter! =A=
> 
> Kaoru: I'M IN THIS FANFIC, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!
> 
> Me: YES, BUT YOU ALWAYS SAY NEGATIVE THINGS ABOUT BUTCHxKAORU =3=
> 
> Kaoru: *scoffs* WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?
> 
> Me: For you to be madly in love with Butch o3o.
> 
> Kaoru: *slaps forehead* What the hell is wrong with you, woman?
> 
> Me: *shrugs* I guess a lot of things 8D.
> 
> Kaoru: YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HAPPY WHEN SOMEONE ASKS YOU THAT QUESTION e_e!
> 
> Me: I don't care o3o.
> 
> Kaoru: *slaps forehead once more* I'm dealing with an idiot...
> 
> Me: ANYWAY, I hope the length of this chapter will make up for it (which is about 6 pages)...and a certain scene~ ;D.
> 
> Kaoru: ...I don't like that smiley. *dashes off to read it*
> 
> Me: KAORU! WAIT. Gah -w-;. While I go get prepared to be killed by Kaoru or so, you guys go ahead and read~ 8D.

I'm slowly going insane. I seriously feel like I'm going to explode any minute right now from all of this damn confusion! One word, I tell you: Takeshi. (And I mean my dog! Not the dude!)

In case you didn't know, a couple of weeks have already passed since that day. And yes, I _do_ mean that day of where I hung out with Takeshi (the dude, not my dog). Momoko insists that it was a _date_ , but I really don't think _that_ was a date, honestly. Nevertheless, we saw each other a couple of times after that and all. Well, actually, it's more like a lot nowadays, considering of how Momoko and Miyako practically leave me behind with him since they're out on their dates with Takeshi's (again, the dude, not my dog) brothers.

Well, moving on, back to Takeshi (my dog, not the dude), every time I'd come home from school or so, I'd always find him doing something human-like! One time, I caught him playing video games. _Video games_. For a dog with paws and no thumbs, he somehow managed to play video games so that's pretty amazing… Wait, I shouldn't be praising him! Gah!

Anyway, there was this other time of when I caught him watching TV and was flipping through the channels— _with the freaking remote in his hand_! Oh, wait, I mean paw… (He's a dog, after all.) I also caught him eating food and all a couple of times on the dining table and all. Once, I saw him actually _cleaning up after himself_ and he was even _walking on his two hind legs_. What kind of a dog does that? An abnormal dog would do that, I'm telling you!

One word described this: Fishy. (Well, Takeshi's a dog, but you get what I mean!)

Hell, I admit that I probably _am_ going insane and just dreaming all of this, but for this to happen over and over? Yeah, suspicious, if you ask me. But even so, I don't even have evidence that he's doing all of this. After all, even if I take a video of it, there's the possibility that I might have edited and tampered with it and all. Plus, who would believe me? No one—because no one will listen to a story such as a dog doing all of this stuff, even though it's freaking true!

Nonetheless, there are times of when even I would stay up at night just to see what Takeshi (again, my dog, not the dude) would be up to. I'd usually find him asleep somewhere in the house (mostly in Sho's room), but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary if you ask me.

Well, that is, until today (well, tonight, actually).

Mom, Dad, and Sho weren't in the house because Mom and Dad decided to go on a date (they're married and they want to go on a date… Even I don't understand, honestly) while Sho went over to a sleepover (I heard about this new video game that his friend got and of how all of their friends would be over at a sleepover, playing it all night or something). Of course, that meant that Takeshi (I repeat, my dog, not the dude and yes, I've said this multiple times already, but I just wanted to make it clear) and I were in the house all alone. Momoko apparently was out on a date with one of Takeshi's (the dude this time, not my dog) brothers (I'm assuming that it's the orange haired one?) while Miyako was busy with helping her grandmother out and all (I think I heard a dude's voice in the background when I was talking to her, though… Probably Takeshi's other brother—you know, the blonde haired one). How I suspect this, you ask? Well, if you think about it, it'd make sense. After all, those four already went on out on a double date or so, which would make sense if they want some alone time or whatever.

Me, on the other hand, I'm just currently flipping through channels for no apparent reason. Well, I'm bored, so I guess _that's_ a reason. Every now and then, I'd glance at Takeshi (my dog, not the dude), who was apparently sleeping on the carpet, I'm assuming. It was _only_ freaking 7:30 PM and I had _nothing to do_. Joy. (Note the sarcasm.) Sighing, I merely stood up from the couch and started stretching as I headed up the stairs, turning the lights off in the process. May as well sleep, right? After all, nothing to do.

Wrong.

That's what I did to make it _look_ like that. Instead, I sat down near the bottom of the staircase that wasn't visible to Takeshi (my dog, not the dude). After about a minute or so, I heard light footsteps coming from him (er, or is it "paw" instead of "foot"?) as he headed towards the backdoor. Once hearing the doggy door flap make some noise (it'd always make noise whenever he went in or out, really), that was the signal for me to quickly get up and then head out towards the backdoor. Looking through the window, I saw that Takeshi was apparently already running… I don't know why, but since he was running fast, I may as well just hurry and chase him down.

And that's what I did.

Opening the door with a jerk (and making sure to lock it, of course), I ran after him—just fast enough so that I was still behind him and wouldn't lose the sight of him. As he went around a corner, I merely glanced at the sky to find a clear, dark blue (or black) night sky with a full moon glowing brightly upon the land. However, I merely ignored it after glancing at it. After all, if I lost Takeshi now, what else would I do?

Eventually, I found Takeshi going behind some crates at the pier. Why we ended up at a pier, I didn't know. Frowning, I decided to tip-toe behind the crates, trying to catch my breath before hearing rustling coming from behind the crates. (And let me tell you, the crates were huge.)

"Damn it," I heard a voice say, causing me to flinch slightly. For some reason, I couldn't help but think that the voice was familiar in a way.

 _Calm down, Kaoru_ , I thought, feeling the sweat trickle down my face slightly. _Takeshi has to be there… If anyone just happens to be hurting Takeshi, you can easily kick his ass! Yeah, that's what I'll do!_ Of course, that didn't explain why the hell I felt _nervous_. Damn it. Maybe it's because of all of the suspense and tension that's affecting me. (I should stop watching horror movies for a while…)

Nonetheless, I decided to take a peek at whatever was behind the crates and I did—only to find that there was nothing there. My eyes widened slightly as I muttered, "What the hell…?"

"And you're here, why?"

Flinching, I turned around—only to find that the person standing before me was Takeshi AKA not my dog, but the dude that I hung out with (Momoko insists on it being a "date") _and_ the same boy that was in my freaking room! (Well, that is, if I _was_ dreaming it or not…)

"That's what I should be asking you," I snapped back, trying to regain my composure. My eyes scanned at what he was wearing: black jeans, black jacket, dark green t-shirt, and dark green shoes having black shoelaces. There was practically nothing else on him except what he was wearing. Hell, he didn't even look like he had anything in his pockets, for crying out loud.

He rolled his eyes at me. "I asked you first, Kaoru."

"It doesn't matter! You're the one that popped out of nowhere!"

"In your point of view, yes. In my point of view, I'm the one that found you here, hiding behind these crates and looking at something."

My eye twitched sightly. "For your information, I was not hiding!"

"Yes, you were."

"No, I wasn't!"

"Well, what do you call it then? You were behind those crates and doing who knows what."

I felt my eye twitch once more before snapping at him, "Well, if you ask me, you're the one that seems the most suspicious here!"

"I repeat: In _your_ point of view, yes. In my point of view, the one that's the most suspicious here is you." And with that said, he pointed at me.

"It's rude to point at someone. If you point at someone, it's three fingers pointing back at you."

He blinked a couple of times. "I thought it was five."

It was then my turn to blink a couple of times. "No, I'm pretty sure it's three."

"Why three?"

"Cause…" My voice trailed off as I glanced at him, seeing that he was raising an eyebrow at me. "Uh, I don't know…"

He sighed before asking, "Why are you out so late?"

"I should be asking you that same question," I replied, frowning.

"And we're back to square one," I heard him mutter.

I rolled my eyes and said sarcastically, "Gee, you think?"

He merely narrowed his eyes at me, which I didn't really mind. At first, there was silence before he said, "Well, I know one thing for sure."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "And that is?"

"That you're _definitely_ not out this late because of a date."

I narrowed my eyes at him, seeing of how he was smirking at me. Rolling my eyes, I said, "I bet you're not on a date either!"

"Ah, yes, that's correct, but I'm here on business."

"Same here!"

"And yours is?"

"I—" I blinked a couple of times, stopping myself immediately before frowning at him and crossing my arms. "And you're asking me that question why?"

He sighed. "I told you my reason for being out late."

"Your reason wasn't specific enough!"

"Yes, which is why I asked for yours first!"

"Dude, you're the one that popped out of nowhere!"

He rolled his eyes at me. "Kaoru, are you trying to make us go all the way back to square one here?"

"No, I just want you to answer my question first!" I snapped, frowning still.

Takeshi blinked at me a couple of times before sighing, putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket. Tapping his foot a couple of times, he said, "Look, I have my reasons for being here, alright? I can't tell you them—"

"Same here," I interrupted.

He frowned at me. "That may be, but you're a _girl_. Just because it's eight o'clock right now doesn't mean that you still can't get jumped by some dude and then, before you know it—"

"Dude, I get mistaken as a guy _a lot_ , alright?" I interrupted once more, rolling my eyes at him and seeing of how he was frowning at me. "Besides, I thought you didn't care about me."

He then smirked slightly, which caused my eye to twitch. "I care for all girls, alright?" It was then that he shrugged. "There are just some that I care less about."

I rolled my eyes at him. "So which one am I a part of?"

Hearing that statement apparently caused him to smirk at me once more. "It depends."

Raising an eyebrow at him, I asked, "Meaning?"

As he continued to smirk at me, he merely shrugged in response. Frowning at him, my eye twitched slightly. After all, this guy's annoying me like hell! And…GAH, TAKESHI! Immediately, I started looking around for my dog (yes, I meant that Takeshi, not the dude standing right before me), but found him nowhere in sight.

"Where the hell did that dog go?" I muttered to myself, tilting my head slightly as I looked behind the crates once more.

"What dog?" Takeshi (the dude) asked, raising an eyebrow at me now.

I frowned at him and snapped, "It's none of your business."

Takeshi merely frowned back at me in response, but I simply ignored him and continued looking around, only to find crates, ships, warehouses (which were all closed, by the way), and last but not least, both me and Takeshi. He was merely watching what I was doing, no words escaping from his mouth. Of course, I had to admit, since he was practically staring at me, I felt uncomfortable and so, I decided to face him with a frown upon my face.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "What?"

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Will you please stop staring at me?"

"I'm not staring at you," he replied bluntly. "I'm _watching_ you."

"Isn't that the same thing as staring?"

"No, cause I'm watching you, not staring."

"You're staring at me."

He shook his head. "Nope. I'm watching."

"Staring."

"Watching."

"Staring."

"Watching."

"Just stop staring at me, damn it!"

"I told you already that I'm watching you. I'm watching what you're doing."

I rolled my eyes at him and groaned softly before muttering, "Just why exactly am I even talking to this dude?"

"Anyway," he began before leaning against the crates slightly and looking at me. "I'm assuming that you're looking for your dog?"

I raised an eyebrow before narrowing my eyes at him. "What are you? A stalker?"

Rolling his eyes at me, he said sarcastically, "Yes, I'm stalking you, a girl that looks like a guy for crying out loud and dressed in clothing for boys."

I rolled my eyes back at him, frowning still. "Okay, I get it. Just tell me the reason how you know that I have a dog."

"Easy; Momoko and Miyako," he replied bluntly.

Of course. Why am I not surprised? I mean, for crying out loud, they're probably happy enough from just going on a "date" with this idiot, so they probably spilled the beans all about me or something!

"Besides, you said something earlier about a dog," he continued, snapping out me out of my thoughts and shrugging as he still leaned against those crates. "So I just simply assumed that the dog you were talking about was your dog."

 _Damn, he heard what I said earlier_ , I thought, frowning slightly. "How do you know that the dog I'm talking about right now isn't exactly mine? It could be some random dog I found on the streets or so."

He rolled his eyes. "That's why I mentioned Momoko and Miyako, Kaoru. They told me that you have a dog." It was then that he smirked slightly at me. "And to boot, he has _my_ name. Are you _sure_ that you're not having dreams about me and that we met before?"

I quickly hit him on the head, yelling, "Dude, I never met you before, alright? And for a person to have dreams about _you_ would be freaking _sick_." A disgusted look appeared upon my face as I then snarled, "Besides, for _me_ to dream about _you_ wouldn't be a dream. It'd be a _nightmare_."

He continued to smirk and shrugged. "Deny it all you want, Kaoru."

My eye twitched slightly so I merely scoffed and started stomping away. Unfortunately, I heard him call after me and so, I quickened my pace. Just as soon as I went around the corner of the last warehouse, I found him standing there and I practically jumped in surprise.

Blinking a couple of times, I looked at him, behind me, and then back at him. "What the hell? Weren't you behind me just now?"

"You took the long way around," he replied, shrugging. "I just took a shortcut and all."

Narrowing my eyes at him, I said, "Gee, you sure know your way around, huh?"

He nodded, leaning against the wall of the warehouse. "I've been here a couple of times."

"For what? A secret rendezvous?" I mocked, rolling my eyes.

"First off, why the hell would I choose the pier of all places to be a rendezvous?"

I shrugged and replied, "People have different tastes." Seeing of how he sighed, I added, "That's actually true, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he responded before asking, "Now, back to the matter at hand, you're looking for your dog, right?"

I raised an eyebrow at him while crossing my arms. "And?"

"Well, where was he last time you saw him?"

"Here," I replied bluntly before rolling my eyes. "Look, just—"

"And where is he now?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Not here, obviously. Otherwise, I'd be walking back home right now with him."

"Then let's go to your house!" He exclaimed, quickly grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the direction I was heading in earlier. Of course, I started protesting and tried to jerk his grasp off of my hand, but every time I tried, he pulled harder, as though telling me to stop. I frowned in response and eventually, I just gave up and it was then that I realized that he probably doesn't even know the way to my house, which then became my excuse to start protesting again.

As I started trying to pull his grasp off of my hand, I said, "Dude, you don't even know the way to my house!"

"Yeah, I do."

I blinked a couple of times. "You what?"

He sighed softly. "I know the way to your house, Kaoru."

I blinked a couple of times once more, letting the silence engulf between the two of us as the lights from the street lamps to cars to houses illuminated the sidewalk, along with the moon shining down. "My God, you really are a stalker."

He glanced back at me and said, "I'm not a stalker. Momoko and Miyako told me your address."

"Now why the hell would they do that?"

He shrugged. "How should I know? They're your friends, not mine."

I frowned immediately, not wanting to respond back to him. _Damn it! Of all of the things to tell him, they told him my address! My freaking address! Seriously? Ugh, they_ really _need to get that idea out of their heads that we'll ever get together or whatever._ Immediately, I blinked a couple of times and then thought, _Wait, would they_ really _tell him my address now that I think about it? For all I know, this dude could be lying. But then again…_ I blinked a couple of times once more and went back to frowning. _Ah, screw it. I don't even know anymore._

"We're here."

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked around, only to find that the two of us were in front of my house and that he had let go of my hand (thank God for that). Immediately, I started wiping my hand that he held on my jeans.

He frowned upon seeing this and shook his head slowly as he sighed. "Well, anyway, see you later." And as he said that, he started walking away.

I blinked a couple of times and turning around, I yelled, "Dude! I haven't even found my dog yet!"

He shrugged and grinned slightly. "Well, maybe he returned home."

Narrowing my eyes, I asked, "And if not?"

"Then he'll come back in the morning," he answered, shrugging once more. "He cares for you guys, right?" Once seeing me nod, he continued, "Then he'll come back."

I frowned and just as I was about to say something, he was already waving at me while walking around the corner. Grumbling to myself, I reluctantly walked up to the front door of my house and once entering, I found Takeshi (my dog) sleeping on the carpet in the living room.

Blinking a couple of times, I muttered to myself, "I really am going insane." Shaking my head slowly, I merely closed the door while locking in the process and headed up to my room. There, I simply just changed into a white t-shirt and shorts and in that process, I threw my belt into my closet. Of course, I covered it with a bunch of my clothes and Dai's old clothing, so no worries about it behind found and all.

Sighing, I merely went to go lie on my bed and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

* * *

Rummaging sounds were heard and that's what woke me up. Opening my eyes slowly, I found someone in my closet and just as soon as I shifted to sit up, the person immediately closed the closet door. Now, at first, I was going to kick the person's ass (because it was a burglar for crying out loud), but when I looked more closely, I found that it was Takeshi (the dude)!

My eyes went wide and before I knew it, I threw my pillow at him. "The hell! Why are you in my house?"

He dodged my pillow and turning around to face me, I flinched slightly. Something about him felt…off. You know, from the usual and regular Takeshi I was used to. Even though I flinched, I continued to glare at him. Well, that is until he crawled onto my bed and was suddenly on top of me… And OH MY GOD, HE'S ON TOP OF ME.

"Throwing things at guests aren't nice, you know," he whispered. I couldn't tell if he was smirking or grinning (or maybe even neither). After all, like I said, he seemed different in a way. His eyes were practically staring into mine and I didn't even understand why the hell he was here in the first place.

_Please tell me that this is a dream… Please tell me that this is all just a dream…!_

Just as I was about to push him off, he gripped my shoulders and pinned me back down on the bed. Squirming to get his hands off of me, I didn't realize that his body was getting closer to mine and before I knew it, I was face to face with him—literally.

Gulping softly, I whispered, "W-Why the hell are you here?"

He made no response at first and cupped my cheek slightly with one of his hands. Now, I would've flinched away from that touch, but considering of how there was limited space, I had no choice but to endure it. I no longer felt his other hand on my shoulder, but I knew that it was supporting him.

I could have sworn I felt my heart beat faster as every second passed. _Damn it, damn it, damn it! Is this real? Is this a dream? Please let it be a dream! God damn it all!_

"I'm so stupid…" I heard him mutter softly, snapping me out of my train of thoughts. Just as I was about to retort that he really was stupid (hey, the dude admitted it himself), he added, "Why didn't I notice it before…?"

I blinked a couple of times and asked out loud, "Notice what?"

For a response, all I got was a simple brush against my lips from none other than _his_ lips. Immediately, I pushed him away as hard as I could to find that he landed on the floor. My heartbeat—I felt it increase and why the hell can I hear it pounding? Why is it so loud? Someone, anyone, tell me what the hell is going on right now!

As I wiped my lips with the back of my hand while sitting up, I saw him stand up and crawl back onto the bed. Of course, I started kicking at him, but he caught both of my legs, pinning them both down so he'd crawl to get on top of me once more. Every time he got closer, I just backed away even more until I eventually felt the bedpost behind me.

 _Damn it! Why am I so weak in this situation? Kick his damn ass, Kaoru!_ Of course, I immediately threw punches at him, but he caught both of my hands and pinned them against the bed. _Damn it all!_ I was trying to get out of his grasp, but it had all been in vain, since he was holding them tightly.

"Kaoru."

I glanced reluctantly at him and glared. Just as I was going to say something, he closed the distance between our faces by brushing his lips against mine once more. However, I merely tried to back my head away, only to find that one of his hands was against the back of my head, keeping it in place.

As I was using my free hand to push him away (which was a failure), I muttered to him, "Get the hell off of me…"

"No," he replied and because his lips were practically near mine, I could feel his breath. Oh God… This is _definitely_ not good.

"T-This is sexual assault, I tell you!"

"But you're enjoying it, aren't you?" Before I could even respond, he pinned me back down against the bed and was face to face with me once more, his hands grasping mine and pinning them both against the bed as well. He smirked at me and said, "Besides, I haven't even done anything to you yet. That is…" He smirked even more. "If you want me to."

My eyes went wide and glaring at him, I hissed, "You're pinning me against my bed and you say this isn't sexual assault?"

"The only thing I've done exactly is just nearly kiss you."

"Exactly!"

He chuckled softly and leaned in towards my ear, whispering, "But that's not really sexual now, is it?"

"It's harassment, then!" I retorted as I heard him chuckle softly. Seeing of how he backed his head away and looked amused, I frowned slightly at him.

"But…" His voice trailed off as I felt one of his hands travel down from my hand (which I immediately tried to push him away with again, but alas, it was in vain) to my stomach, lifting up my shirt slightly and brushed his hand against my waist. Hearing him chuckle, he then said, "Don't lie to me that you don't enjoy it. After all, your face is red."

My eyes went wide slightly and I realized that my face _was_ feeling hot before muttering, "Oh, damn it all!"

Hearing him chuckle once more, he added, "Not to mention that you look a lot better in shorts…"

 _God damn it! Why'd I have to wear shorts tonight?_ I thought angrily to myself. Normally, I'd go to sleep in my pajamas, but considering of how they were still being washed and all, I had no choice but to wear these. _Damn it all!_

"S-Shut the hell up already," I hissed angrily.

I heard him chuckle once more, which caused me to growl softly at him. "Even in bed, you're still feisty as ever."

 _B-Bed?_ My eyes went wide at that term (I could have sworn I felt my face get even hotter) and immediately, I snapped, "We're not even doing anything like that at all!"

"Not yet, we're not," he responded, smirking.

"W-Well, I won't let you!"

"Says the person that's practically being dominated right now," he whispered in my ear, chuckling softly. As I continued to try to push him away (which was still in vain, by the way), he added, "Though, I have to admit, at least you're trying."

I frowned at him and hissed, "Just get off of me!"

"I told you earlier that I won't, so what makes you think that I will?"

 _His breath… God damn it, stop breathing in my ear, Takeshi!_ My heartbeat—I think it just started beating even faster right now. Hell, I can't tell anymore, causing I can hear it pounding loudly as ever and so, I growled softly before hearing him chuckle once more. _If this is a dream,_ please _let me wake up right now this instant. Please!_

"Kaoru," he whispered in my ear, snapping me out of my train of thoughts once more. Hovering his face over mine once more, I felt his lips brush against mine.

_Why is my heart beating so fast? Hell, none of this doesn't even make any sense!_

Just as I was going to tell him to get off of me once more, his lips were pressed against mine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *is in a force field that protects me* Okaaaaay~; hope you enjoyed it~ ;D.
> 
> Kaoru: *comes running back in* DEJIIIIIIKOOOOOOOOOO =_=! *heads for me but then bumps into force field* THE HELL!
> 
> Me: Hehe~ c: I expected this so ta-daaaaah 8D.
> 
> Kaoru: ...DAMN YOU! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?
> 
> Me: Cause I was in a ButchxKaoru fangirl mood D8.
> 
> Kaoru: THAT DIDN'T MEAN FOR YOU TO WRITE THIS DAMN SCENE OUT! *points to the scene that you guys just read*
> 
> Me: Kaoru, stop complaining. If anything, you should be happy that this didn't get changed to M! =3=
> 
> Kaoru: Why? -A-
> 
> Me: Cause if it got changed to M, then that would mean that I would've continued with the scene & all. And let me tell you, it was VERY hard to restrain back my fangirl desires!
> 
> Kaoru: ...
> 
> Me: Exactly c:
> 
> Kaoru: ...You know I hate you, right?
> 
> Me: Yes, but you love Butch 8D.
> 
> Kaoru: I DO NOT LOVE HIM.
> 
> Me: Aw, you're in denial~!
> 
> Kaoru: *slaps forehead* Okay, you know what, forget it! -w-
> 
> Me: XDD Oh, and before I forget, tell me what YOU guys think about what happened in that ButchxKaoru scene after Kaoru went asleep... Do you think it's a dream of hers or do you guys think it's real~? ;D
> 
> Kaoru: I'm hoping it was a dream e_e. And if it was a dream, then that's one hell of a nightmare... e_e
> 
> Me: Oh, hush, I didn't ask for your opinion. *rolls eyes* Anyway, review please! And I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter! C:


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *currently underground* o3o;;;
> 
> Kaoru: *is above ground, trying to find me* COME OUT YOU COWARD =A=.
> 
> Me: :'D Well, I had my force field destroyed by a certain someone... *rolls eyes* But, she won't find me down here o3o;;.
> 
> Kaoru: COME OUT, DAMMIT =A=.
> 
> Me: ... 8'D Er, anyway, thanks for telling me which one you guys all thought it was ;D. You'll find out which one it was once you start reading the next chapter...which is now! o3o
> 
> Kaoru: COME OUT, DAMMIT!...Wait, what the hell?
> 
> Me: o.o ?
> 
> Kaoru: ACK. BUTCH?
> 
> Butch: KAORU-CHAN!
> 
> *sounds of Kaoru being chased or so is heard from above*
> 
> Me: ... :'D Err, correction: NOW you can start reading the chapter! 8'D

"OH MY GOD!"

Immediately, my father came running into the room, shouting, "What? What happened?"

Blinking a couple of times, I glanced around, realizing it was morning, considering of how once I looked out the window, I saw that the sun was out. Glancing at my father, I merely shrugged and said, "Uh, it was nothing?"

"But you yelled out, 'OH MY GOD!'" My father retorted.

"I said it was nothing!"

"…You didn't happen to be dreaming about a _boy_ , did you?"

Immediately, I threw a pillow at my father, who quickly ran out of the room after squeaking. (And yes, he did squeak.) As the pillow landed on the floor, I grumbled softly to myself about what just happened to me. One minute I was in bed, pinned down by that Takeshi dude (…that sounds like he was trying to rape me or something…), the next I wake up in my bed.

Oh yeah, which reminds me. Immediately, I pulled my blanket up and saw that my shorts were still on (thank God for that… If I woke up naked, who knows what the hell I'd do). At this, I sighed in relief, but blinked a couple of times. I mean, why in the world did I end up _dreaming_ about him? It doesn't even make any sense… I mean, dreams are usually formed from happy thoughts—from things you want or whatever, right? So…does that mean I secretly _want_ Takeshi?

My eyes went wide and I muttered after shaking my head, "No. No. NO! Stop over thinking, Kaoru!"

I decided to let my mind wander off to what happened before I went to sleep last night. _Okay, let's see… Takeshi left the house_ (I'm referring to my dog, by the way) _and I followed after him… I somehow lost him, I think? And then I met that player dude that just so happens to have the same name as my dog._ Immediately, I rolled my eyes and grumbled softly. _Okay, what happened next? Uh, I went home after I yelled at him a couple of times… What did I yell again?_ Blinking a couple of times, I continued to be lost in my thoughts until I heard my mother's voice calling my name.

"Yeah, Mom?" I yelled back, getting out of my bed and standing in the doorway of my room.

"Kaoru, it's ten in the morning!" I heard her yell back. "Come down here and eat breakfast already!"

Glancing at the clock, I saw that it really was ten in the morning. _Damn, it was only ten? I figured that it'd be like afternoon right now or something…_ Nonetheless, I got dressed after replying back to my mother I'd be down in a minute or so. After a couple of minutes, I ran down the stairs (after I brushed my teeth, of course) and into the kitchen, wearing a yellow t-shirt and dark green shorts that reached to about my knees.

"Morning, Mom," I said, running over to the breakfast she handed me and received a nod from her in reply. Just as I was about to eat it, I heard the doorbell ring, which made me immediately frown.

"Kaoru, can you get that?"

I sighed, but nodded, putting down my breakfast onto the counter and running towards the door. Opening the door, I found none other than Takeshi, raising an eyebrow at me with his hands shoved in in the pockets of his jacket. Before he could even say anything, I immediately shut the door in his face and locked it. Of course, as soon as I did that, he just had to ring the damn doorbell!

"Kaoru!" My mother called.

"Yeah, I got it, Mom! No worries!" I replied before opening the door and glaring at him. "Why the hell are you here?"

He whistled. "Wow. Is that how you always treat your guests?" He then grinned at me, which made me narrow my eyes at him. "Well, anyway…" His voice trailed off as he took out two tickets from his pocket. "Movies. You and me?"

I blinked a couple of times before immediately covering my eyes and muttering, "This has got to be a dream. This has got to be a dream. _Please_ just let this be some nightmare…" Oh, wait, now I remember! The dream I had last night must have been a nightmare! Yeah… It was just a nightmare…

Hearing him sigh, he then said, "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, it's technically a triple date."

I stopped muttering to myself and uncovering my eyes, I raised an eyebrow at him. "Momoko and Miyako?"

He shrugged. "Sort of."

Putting my arms down and crossing them across my chest, I asked, "Meaning?" He didn't respond for a while, which made me raise an eyebrow at him even more. Snapping my fingers at him, I growled, "Oi, are you even paying attention?"

He raised an eyebrow at me and asked, "Of course I am."

"Then why the hell didn't you respond?"

"Cause I was thinking."

"About?"

"What your cup size is."

Immediately, my eye twitched at that and before I knew it, I was glaring deadly at him, cracking my knuckles. Just as soon as I was about to walk up to him (and beat the living daylight out of him), he sensed my dark aura and put his free hand up in defense.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down!" He yelled, waving his free hand about in front of him. "I was just joking!"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Oh, I doubt it."

He rolled his eyes. "Think about it. Would I really think about a _tomboy's_ chest size, especially when she's already wearing a baggy shirt?" He nodded towards my shirt, which was definitely baggy. I frowned slightly at him and just as I was about to retort something at him, he beat me to it by saying, "Well, are you gonna go to the movies with me or not?" He waved the tickets around a bit, raising an eyebrow at me.

"You still didn't explain to me what 'sort of' meant."

He shrugged, frowning slightly. "Basically, my brothers made me go. And because of that, I had to cancel plans with this other chick…"

Yup, definite sign of a player there.

"Later," I stated bluntly.

Just as I was about to close the door, he yelled out, "Wait!"

I scowled. "What? Shouldn't you go on that date with that chick or whatever?"

"You don't have any plans today, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Why the hell are you asking me that?"

"I'll take that as a 'no', then," he stated. Just as I was about to retort something at him, he beat me to it (curse him!) by saying, "If you don't have plans, then just hang out with me." He waved the tickets around once more, just like earlier while raising an eyebrow at me and grinning. "C'mon, you know you wanna hang out with me."

Rolling my eyes, I spat, "Just leave already, will you?"

He shook his head, still grinning. "Nope. I had to cancel plans, so I'm basically free for the day."

"Can't you just ask some other girl to go with you?"

"Nope," he replied, shaking his head. "My bros said I had to go with you. Same with your friends."

I grumbled angrily under my breath and growled, "Well, I'm not going!"

Just as I was about to slam the door, I heard a voice behind me ask, "Kaoru, who's that?"

Flinching and turning around, I faced none other than my mother. _Oh God, she has that look in her eyes… Okay, I don't like where this is going now._ Gulping softly, I muttered, "It's just a dude I know."

"A boy you know, hm?"

I nodded slowly. Glancing at Takeshi, I saw that he had one arm in front of him and bowing, just like of how a butler would sometimes greet his master. I had to admit, I was somewhat shocked, but considering of how my mother was here at the moment (and knowing her), I _needed_ to make Takeshi leave _now_.

"Why hello, Mrs. Matsubara," Takeshi said, bowing still. Grinning up at my mother, he then said, "My name is Takeshi and it's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Just then he reached out his hands and grabbing onto my mother's hand, he shook it while grinning still.

My eye twitched slightly at this. Okay. This was shocking. Period. Never had I thought that this dude would have some manners, but then again, you learn something new every day. Nonetheless, I raised an eyebrow slightly at his behavior, which he completely ignored.

"Oh, well, hello there," my mother replied. "Well, it's nice to meet another one of Kaoru's friends."

"He's not my friend, Mom," I spat, glaring at Takeshi.

He was still grinning, completely unfazed by my glare. "She's right. I'm not her friend." It was then that he waved the tickets again for the third time that day while smirking (but it probably looked like he was smiling or so in my mother's point of view). "I'm not her friend because I'm here to ask her out on yet another date."

My mother merely stared at Takeshi for a while as my eye twitched slightly at him.

Just as I was about to hiss at him that I rejected his offer already, someone behind me yelled, "DATE?"

Flinching slightly, I glanced behind me and saw my father.

Just as I was about to say something, my father grabbed a hold of my shoulders and started shaking me while yelling, "NOOOOOOO! WHY, KAORU? WHY?" Immediately, he glared at Takeshi after shaking me.

However, just as he was about to yell at him, my mother pulled his ear towards her and then pushed me out of the house. My father was protesting at first, but the minute my mother glared at him, he immediately shut up.

"Have a nice time, Kaoru!" My mother said happily and before I could even say anything else, she slammed the door in front of my face and locked the door.

Growling softly, I silently cursed at myself for leaving the keys in my room. _Now I can't get in! Well, unless I sneak in through a window, but knowing my mother, she'll be locking all of the windows._ Just then, I heard windows being shut or locked in place. Growling softly to myself once more, I grumbled, "Just great…"

"Well, let's head for the theater now, alright?" He asked, turning his head to me and grinning.

"This is all your damn fault!"

A look of innocence was then upon his face. "Me? What did I do?"

"This all happened because you said 'date'!"

"Kaoru, I didn't want to lie to your parents," he replied, rolling his eyes. "If I said 'hung out', that'd be technically true, but…" His voice trailed off as he grinned even more, raising an eyebrow at me. Clearing his voice, he then said, "Last time I checked…" Leaning in softly, he whispered in my ear, "People don't make out when they 'hang out'."

Immediately, I hit him on the head, hearing him grunt in pain for a second or so. "Like I said earlier. This is all your fault."

He pouted slightly at first, but grinned soon after while pulling my arm as we started walking, leaving the area and ending up walking upon the sidewalk. Of course, I protested along the way—until I saw the tickets more closely and had my mouth drop wide open. Putting my feet to a halt, he pulled me once more, trying to get me to walk, but I scowled at him once he glanced back.

Raising an eyebrow at me, he said, "You know, I'll bring you to that theater whether you like it or not."

"Not that, you dolt!" Immediately, I jerked off his grip and snatched the tickets out of hand. Just as soon as he was going to protest, I put the tickets in front of his face. "Do you see what's wrong with this picture?"

"You mean the picture of the tickets?"

"No, you idiot!" I yelled, rolling my eyes. "I meant the movie title!"

He took the tickets out of my grip and raised an eyebrow at me. "And?"

"Momoko and Miyako have been trying to get me to watch that movie for the past few weeks now!" It's true, even though I didn't mention it until now. Usually, I'd just ignore them or so whenever they tried to get me to watch it, but even if they did try to force me to watch it, I'd find my way out to avoid watching it sooner or later.

"Well, that's not a surprise. But still, you're a girl, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm female. What about it?" I spat at him, frowning.

He shrugged. "Don't females usually enjoy chick flicks?"

"Yes, usually. I'm not into chick flicks!"

"So you call them chick flicks too?"

"Duh!"

He merely chuckled softly at this, which made me glare at him. Unfazed by my glaring once again, he said, "Look, to be honest, I don't wanna watch this movie either."

I scoffed. "I'm not surprised. But then why the hell do you have those tickets anyway?"

"My brothers gave them to me. I just took it without any complaint whatsoever because I thought you'd be into stuff like this." He started waving the tickets around.

"Well, I'm not, so can I go back home now?"

"Nope," he replied, grinning as he grabbed a hold of my hand. "As soon as you left your house—"

"More like kicked out."

He chuckled softly but said, "Well, as I was saying, as soon as that happened, our date started."

"We aren't even at the theater yet!"

"Yeah, but, we can always ditch them the minute we go in, right?"

I blinked a couple of times before realizing that. _Oh God! How could I be so_ stupid _? I should've just kept quiet about the tickets! If I did, then I would've made up some lame excuse, ditch Takeshi and the others, and just head back to my house! Now I have to spend the day with this dude!_ As soon as I thought that sentence, I immediately groaned.

"What? Something the matter?"

I shook my head and rolled my eyes while saying sarcastically, "No, everything is alright." Immediately, I glared at him and yelled, "Of course something's the matter, you idiot!"

"Hey, we can figure out the plans for our date and all when we ditch them, alright?"

Blinking a couple of times at him, I asked, "You do realize that I rejected you, right?"

He grinned at me. "And you do realize that I don't take 'no' for an answer, right?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I hate you, you know."

Grinning even more, he replied, "I know."

Just as soon as he said that, we arrive at the theater and he pulled me inside after giving the dude at the counter the tickets, still ignoring my protests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sounds of Kaoru being chased by Butch and things breaking are still heard*
> 
> Me: ...They're paying for the damages... Just saying =3=. But anyway, big thanks for everyone that reviewed last chapter!
> 
> Kaoru: STOP CHASING ME!
> 
> Butch: BUT YOU'RE RUNNING AWAY FROM ME!
> 
> Kaoru: YES, BECAUSE YOU'RE CHASING ME!
> 
> Me: Pfft... *snickers softly* Well, anyway, as of September 7th, I'll be heading back to school. But eh, not that it really matters... I update slow anyway :'D. I can't help it; I tend to be lazy, haha... 8'D But, er, moving on, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please tell me what you guys think about it when you review! c:


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: After one freaking long month...I've FINALLY updated. *collapses onto nearby couch & is STILL underground* This month felt like...three months or something. God, every week day of the week is the same thing over and over. To boot, my AP History class is SERIOUSLY killing me e_e. Asdfghjkl. If I ever pass out or anything, I'm blaming it on my AP History class due to lack of sleep because I have to study & do other shizz. *flails arms*
> 
> Kaoru: DAMN IT, BUTCH. GET THE HELL OUT!
> 
> Butch: BUT KAORU -
> 
> Kaoru: I SAID GET OUT!
> 
> Me: ...As much as I'd like to know what those two are doing up there, I'm sure that most of you are more interested in what's happening in the fanfic xD. Well, anyway, go ahead & read~ c:

"Oh God," I muttered angrily under my breath, hearing more corny and sappy lines from the movie. Yes, _he_ and I were in the theater with the movie playing, while Momoko, Miyako, and Takeshi's brothers were off somewhere in the different aisles of the theater. Currently, I was trying to resist the urge to slap my forehead with my palm, but judging of how other people watching the movie earlier shushed at me angrily for groaning out loud, I decided to not do that. And trust me, I really don't want to be chased out by a mob of this many people (all of the seats in the theater were freaking filled).

I heard a soft chuckle coming from my right, which meant one thing: Takeshi. When I glared at him, he merely grinned at me and whispered softly, "I'm assuming you're not enjoying the movie."

"Of course not!" I hissed angrily and as softly as possible, wanting not to be shushed by tons of people again, I whispered, "That and the fact that there are other girls staring at you."

Yes, there were girls staring at him. Hell, even the ones that were with their dates even glanced at him a couple of times every now and then (either that or they were staring at his brothers). It's really awkward when people are staring at you (well, something near you) while you're eating. And yes, Takeshi bought me popcorn. I insisted that I used my own money, but in the end, he got his way, which was mainly because Momoko dragged me off into the theater for taking so long and all.

He smirked slightly. "Jealous?"

I scoffed. "You wish."

He shrugged and sang softly, "Denial."

I glared at him, which made him smirk even more. Sighing angrily, I merely placed my hand into the bag of popcorn, taking about a handful of it and shoving it into my mouth. After swallowing, I merely mumbled angrily to myself. Of course, then I realized something: I was thirsty and the thing is, I didn't have a drink.

Frowning slightly, I looked at Takeshi, who merely raised an eyebrow back, and hissed softly, "Did you buy a drink at all?"

He nodded and handed me the drink that was in his right hand. Immediately, I snatched it out of my hand and drank the contents from the straw. For some reason, he then started chuckling softly.

With the straw still in my mouth, I asked softly while raising an eyebrow at him, "What?" I merely continued to drinking from it.

He smirked slightly. "You do realize that's my drink you're drinking from, right?"

My eyes widened at that statement as I stopped drinking from it. Before he could say anything else, I shoved it back to him and hissed angrily, but also softly, "You should've said so in the first place, jackass!"

He merely chuckled and replied softly, "Hey, you're the one that immediately took it and drank out of it immediately without asking."

"Yeah, because you just handed it to me without saying a word!"

Immediately, he leaned in towards my ear and whispered, "You know, you shouldn't take it so seriously. After all, we're on a _date_ , aren't we?"

Growling angrily at that, I backed my head away as I rolled my eyes, muttering, "I should've never answered the damn door…"

Immediately, I felt something around my shoulder and before I could even react to it, my face was face to face with Takeshi's smirking face. Before I could snap at him for this, he whispered, "We're on a date, right? And you know what happens on dates?" When he leaned in even more, my eyes went wide. Wait, didn't a similar thing happen in my dream? My only reaction was to put my hand to his face and pushing his head away from mine.

 _Now is_ not _the time to think about that, Kaoru!_ I thought angrily, scolding myself in the process. Immediately, I felt my face heat up from what happened and…OH MY GOD, I NEED TO STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. Quickly burying my face in my hands, I merely grumbled angrily at myself for being such a freaking idiot and whatnot. When I heard Takeshi softly chuckling, I glared at him once more.

"Just shut the hell up, will you?" I hissed. For crying out loud, he needs to stop laughing at me! I don't see what's so damn funny!

He shrugged while grinning at me, causing me to scowl at him. Leaning in slightly, he whispered, "You don't like this movie, right?"

I rolled my eyes at him and hissed, "Did you not hear my protests while you dragged me here?"

A soft chuckle escaped his lips, which made my eye twitch slightly. "We can leave, if you want."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Dude, we're practically in the middle of this row." Immediately, I nodded to the people around us. "If they weren't surrounding us, I would've ditched you by now."

He feigned a look of hurt on his face, but grinned afterward. "I'm not surprised. So, you wanna leave?"

"Yeah, but _how_?"

Immediately, he nodded to the screen.

As if on cue, one of those gushy romantic moments just happened between the two main characters and I had resist the urge to groan as nearly everyone else cooed, "Aw~!"

Once they did that however, I glanced at Takeshi—to find that he was all the way at the end of the aisle, gesturing me to follow. My eyes were wide at first, especially since the seats there were suddenly empty. Well, until I saw that there were girls practically swooning behind him and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Nonetheless, I ate the rest of my popcorn and left the theater with him after throwing the popcorn container into a nearby trash can.

"That movie seriously gets annoying after a while," I heard Takeshi grumble, sighing as he and I were in front of the theater, merely standing on the sidewalk while the cars in the streets just kept zooming by.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You've watched that movie before?"

Immediately, he frowned and said bluntly, "That was my thirty-sixth time watching that damn thing."

My eyes went wide at this. "Thirty-sixth?"

He nodded. "That movie is seriously popular with most of the chicks I dated. Nearly all of them wanted to watch that damn movie!" Immediately, he sighed and grumbled something about never understanding females.

I scoffed. "And females will never understand males."

He grinned at me when I said that, which made me raise an eyebrow at him. "Well, wanna grab something to eat?"

"Dude, I just ate popcorn!"

"That isn't enough to satisfy a woman's stomach!"

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Look, I just wanna go home, alright?"

Raising an eyebrow at me, I replied, "And I don't want you to go home on an empty stomach, alright?"

"I just told you that I ate some popcorn!"

"And I just told you that popcorn isn't enough to satisfy your freaking stomach!" Before I could retort, he pulled my arm and the two of us ended up in a small little shop with snacks galore. Some people would be sitting, while others would just leave the shop after getting their food. Immediately seeing of how the cashier girl was flirting with Takeshi, I frowned. It wasn't because I was jealous or anything, but because of how nearly every other girl in the shop was staring at him. Well, that and the fact that Takeshi was flirting back.

Rolling my eyes, I stated, "Takeshi."

Takeshi turned his head, facing me. "Yeah?"

"Does this _always_ happen to you wherever you go?" Immediately, I nodded to the amount of girls that were staring at him in the shop.

Smirking, he replied, "I guess I'm just too attractive to the ladies."

I rolled my eyes at him before seeing that he went back to flirting with the cashier girl. Frowning, I merely scoffed softly before turning around and stomping out of the damn shop, even though I could hear him calling after me just as soon as the door closed behind me. For crying out loud, I wasted my time with the boy! As I was walking down the sidewalk, my mind started wandering off once more about my dog, who also had his name as Takeshi.

To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out what the hell is going on with that dog. So far, no leads—at all, which ultimately sucks, if I may add. He was like every other dog, but a normal dog doesn't act human-like. It just didn't add up at all!

I merely frowned upon this before muttering, "Ugh, I'm gonna get a headache at this rate for trying to solve this damn mystery…" Before I knew it, I ended up in front of my house.

* * *

After some convincing from my mother to let me in (which took nearly about an hour, and yes, I'm dead serious when I said nearly about an hour), I collapsed on top of my bed. Even though I had to admit that my head was somewhat throbbing, it still didn't stop me from trying to figure out what the hell was going on!

As I groaned softly on my bed, I heard someone panting in the room. When I sat up, I found that it was none other than Takeshi, my dog. Blinking a couple of times, I stared at him as he stared at me back, even though his tail was wagging as ever.

Frowning, I raised an eyebrow at my dog. "Mind telling me why you're in my room without my permission?"

At this, he whimpered for some reason, which surprised me in a way. After all, I wasn't expecting him to understand everything I was saying. Then again, maybe it was because I frowned at him.

Nonetheless, I sighed, grinning at the dog before me and went over, patting his head. "You're one weird dog, Takeshi."

At this, he barked as his tail wagged, which made me chuckle softly. Sho then called for him afterward and Takeshi dashed out of the room immediately. Sighing once more, I grumbled angrily at my head for hurting so much and collapsed back onto my bed before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"Kaoru."

_That voice… It sounds familiar…_

"Kaoru, wake up."

"Five more minutes," I grumbled angrily, flailing my arms at whoever was nearby before pulling the blanket over my head.

I felt the blanket get pulled down and heard the voice say, "Kaoru, if you don't wake up, I will take your virginity."

"WHAT?" My eyes shot open at this and when I looked at the person, I realized it was Takeshi. Seeing of how he was snickering at me, I glared at him and growled, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick you out of my room right now." After blinking a couple of times, I yelled out, "Wait, why the hell are you in my room? How did you get in—"

Immediately, he crawled onto my bed and covered my mouth with his hand. My eyes went wide and just as I was about to kick him off, he made himself comfortable by pinning me down against my bed. To boot, his face was directly hovering over my face and his body was pressed up against mine. Oh God…

My eye twitched slightly and when he finally removed his hand, I spat, "Get. Off. Of. Me. _Now_."

Smirking, he replied, "Or what? You can't do anything to me in this position."

Scowling at him, I growled angrily. After all, he had a point. If I screamed for help, that'd make me look like a wimp and I, for one, _am no freaking wimp_. And plus, I yelled earlier just now and since my parents weren't coming to my aid (or anyone, for that matter), I _really_ doubt they'd come if I continued yelling.

"See? You can't do anything," he whispered softly, cupping my cheek while brushing his lips against my mouth. My eyes went wide at this and before I could say anything, he asked, "Should we continue where we left off last night?"

As soon as my mouth opened to yell at him, he placed a kiss upon my lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: So. Tired... ._. *can hear the sounds of Kaoru's protesting* ...Asdfghjkl. I'm getting a lack of ButchxKaoru at this rate. ASDFGHJKL. Tired. I'm gonna go to bed now... *is tired out from the tiring weeks of school & such* Expect an update soon, though, people! c:


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I. Am. So. Freaking. Sorry. For. Taking. Two. Months. To. Update. QAQ
> 
> This chapter was supposed to be up much sooner, as I promised in the previous chapter, but life and school got in the way, so I only managed to get the rest of it today. Last week, I was trying to recover from my tiring weeks of school (especially the week before Winter Break; oh God, that was a freaking nightmare x_x), so I mainly spent my time gaming and not doing my homework. At first, I was going to do my homework on Monday, but life's plans decided to interfere so I got stuck with packing up stuff in my room for a couple of days...and my mother wants me to pack up more stuff and all, so in a way, this was my excuse for avoiding work :'D.
> 
> Well, that and I was determined to get this updated, since it's been two months, for crying out loud x'D.
> 
> Kaoru: DAMN IT, BUTCH! GET OUT!
> 
> Butch: KAORU-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAN~
> 
> Kaoru: I SAID GET OUT!
> 
> Me: ...Yeah, I'm still underground o3o;! Anyway, this chapter is about five pages long, so hopefully, that length will make up for the whole no-update-for-two-months-kind-of-thing :'D. If that won't make up for it, then...well...what happens in this chapter might ;D.
> 
> ...Hopefully, I haven't gotten rusty in my writing :'D.

I awoke to the sound of a phone ringing, breathing heavily as I looked around the room. Glancing at the top of my drawers, I realized that it was my cell phone that was ringing.

Sighing, I picked it up and said groggily, "Hello?"

_"Kaoru! Come over to the Professor's already!"_

Glancing at the clock nearby, I asked, "Momoko, why the hell are you calling me at nine in the freaking _morning_?"

_"'Cause apparently, Ken wants to talk to us about something. I don't know why, but it sounded pretty urgent in my opinion."_

"And why the hell didn't he just contact me by…" My voice trailed off, since I didn't want anyone in the doorway to hear. "Well, you know what I mean."

_"Well, he didn't wanna hear you screaming at him in the morning, so…yeah."_

Well, that made sense. Knowing him, he'd be scared as hell once I start yelling at him.

Sighing, I replied, "Okay, fine, I'll be there soon."

 _"Kay!"_ I heard Momoko reply and with that, she hung up on me.

Closing my cell phone, I sighed softly to myself and wondered what the hell was wrong with me for dreaming about Takeshi _again_ for the _second night in a row_. I mean, seriously! _Second night in a row_ , damn it! If anything, I should go get my head checked—period.

Glancing at the clock once more, I sighed once more and muttered, "May as well head on over." With that said, I reluctantly went to go get ready.

* * *

"Alright, what the hell is so important that you guys have to call me at _nine in the freaking morning_?" My eye twitched slightly, waiting for an answer.

Momoko sighed and replied, "I don't know!"

"Well, couldn't they just call me about it over the damn phone?"

"Kaoru, stop yelling!"

"You're yelling, too!"

"Momoko-san, Kaoru-san, the two of you should stop arguing," I heard Miyako say and before I could say anything else, she added quickly, "Oh, Peach!"

Momoko and I then glanced over at the robotic dog that was sitting on top of the stairs. Before I could say anything to him, he shushed me before running down the stairs and towards us.

"Alright, what's so important?" I asked immediately, raising an eyebrow.

"I've been sensing black aura for the past couple of days, da wan," Peach muttered softly, but just enough for the three of us to hear.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, now that's just plain—"

"It's true, da wan! I'm not lying!"  
Rolling my eyes at him, I said, "Peach, last time I checked, there was no trouble, so I don't understand how you could be sensing black aura, still."

"I sense black aura, da wan!"

"Perhaps we should go check once more," Miyako then said, looking deep in thought. "After all, it doesn't hurt to check, right?"

Momoko nodded slowly. "Miyako has a point. It shouldn't hurt to check once more, right?"

I shrugged, rolling my eyes. "Fine. The sooner we finish checking, the sooner I can get back to sleep." Before letting any of them say anything, I quickly transformed and left the house in a flash.

* * *

"There's nothing here, damn it!" I exclaimed in anger, looking around the area, which was really just a forest that Peach had led us to.

"I sensed black aura here, da wan!" Peach exclaimed back before running off.

Miyako and Momoko then ran off (since we couldn't fly over the forest because we wouldn't see anything due to the trees) after him, calling his name over and over to come back. Sighing, I ran after them as well. Before I knew it, we ended upon a clearing of trees, which, I had to admit, felt a bit weird.

"I sense black aura, da wan," I heard Peach mutter softly as he got behind the three of us. "And it's getting closer…"

Narrowing my eyes at a set of bushes and trees before us, I waited for some sort of movement to appear, but after waiting for a while, nothing happened. Raising an eyebrow at Peach, I asked, "Peach?"

Peach blinked a couple of times and muttered something, but none of us could hear anything. Just as I was about to ask him to repeat what he just said, rustling was heard from the bushes, which made me whip my head back towards them.

"Stop hiding like a coward and face us!" I yelled immediately.

Instead of getting a verbal response, the sound of rustling then started getting further and further away. Just as I raised up my hammer to pound the ground, Miyako stopped me immediately before telling me that I could damage the environment around here. Sighing, I knew she was right and just ran off towards the rustling that seemed to get further and further away by the second.

Eventually, I ended up near a large lake and as I was looking around, Miyako, Momoko, and Peach had already caught up. While Miyako and Momoko were pausing to catch their breath, Peach started wandering around near the lake, turning his head around every now and then.

Quickly, I growled, "Peach…"

Immediately, Peach flinched and exclaimed, "I really did sense black aura, da wan!"

Narrowing my eyes at him, I spat, "No one's here, you know!"

"I don't know what happened, but all I know is that I really did sense black aura, da wan!" He then slightly hesitated, shifting his gaze from me to Miyako and to Momoko. Sighing, he said softly, "But it's gone now, da wan…"

I blinked a couple of times before exclaiming, "What?"

"How can that be?" I heard Miyako mutter softly. "It was before us just a moment ago…"

"It's gone, da wan! I don't know how, but it's gone now, da wan! I can't sense it anywhere, da wan!"

Momoko sighed and said, "Well, we can't do anything about it now, so we may as well just head back to the lab." After a pause, she added, "Wait for me, my wonderful manga!" Before Miyako and I could say anything, Momoko already flew off towards the direction that we headed from earlier.

Miyako sighed, shaking her head while smiling and picked up Peach in her arms. Turning around, she looked at me and asked, "Aren't you going to head back with us, Kaoru?"

I shook my head. "I'll head back later. For now, I'm just gonna take a look around."

Miyako nodded before flying off and joining with Momoko.

Sighing, I muttered, "Besides, even if I did head back, that asshole might end up on my doorstep again." _And knowing Mom, she'll try to get me to go on a date with him…_ again, I added silently.

Looking around, I just saw that it was the same old scenery of nature: Trees, bushes, lake, flowers—need I go on? Nonetheless, I eventually looked around until I saw a silhouette of some sort off into the distance, just past a couple of trees. Squinting my eyes, I decided to follow after the person. After all, who would do something here in the woods? Sounds pretty fishy, in my opinion. (Well, I have a legitimate excuse for being here, so there's no reason to be suspicious of me.)

Eventually, I came closer to the silhouette, hiding behind the trees. I was still in my Powerpuff Girls Z outfit, though, just in case. The silhouette eventually became more clear when I realized who it was.

"Takeshi?" I whispered out loud. Immediately, I covered my mouth and hid behind the tree, sliding my back down against its trunk.

"Who's there?" He called out while I still had my hand over my mouth.

 _Crap, crap, crap! Not good!_ As I continued to curse silently, I heard rustling once more before silence followed pursuit. Reluctantly, I uncovered my mouth and stood back up, taking a peek behind the tree only to find that he was no longer there. At this, I raised my eyebrow before I felt a presence behind me.

"Why are you here, Buttercup?"

Flinching, I turned around to find Takeshi, smirking at me, for some reason. I was honestly expecting him to look pissed off, but…him smirking? That I didn't expect.

I frowned at him, regaining my posture before saying, "I'm here to check the place out; that's all." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why are _you_ here?"

"I have my reasons," he replied, smirking still.

At this, I raised an eyebrow at him before seeing a glint of mischievous appear in his eyes. My eyes widen slightly before I frowned at him, stating, "At any rate, you shouldn't be here."

He raised an eyebrow back, smirking still. "Oh? Why not?"

"It's dangerous; that's why." Lame excuse, I know, but I honestly want him to leave already.

Blinking a couple of times, he muttered something to himself—something that I couldn't hear.

Raising an eyebrow at him, I asked, "What did you say?"

"Nothing. Just…something I remembered; that's all," he replied, smirking once more and I could've sworn that his eyes suddenly flashed some kind of emotion… I don't know what it was, but it was creeping me out by the minute.

Realizing that my back was against the tree, I cursed silently before stating, "And that something is?"

"Well, we met before, didn't we? Last time, you were doing something like this and I spotted you easily."

I frowned. "So?"

"There's a difference between this time and the previous time," he replied. Once he saw that I was raising an eyebrow, he continued, "Which is none other than the fact that we're the only two people here."

Narrowing my eyes, I hissed, "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"You really don't remember me, dear Buttercup?" He asked, smirking still as he placed his arm above my head (curse his height!), leaning on it for support while looking down at me. Of course, this unfortunately meant that he had me cornered against the tree.

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to recall. Sure, this dude was Takeshi, but that didn't deny the fact that his dark green eyes was somehow familiar to me. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure it out, so I merely frowned at him while glaring.

"So, I'm assuming that you don't remember me, then?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me while still smirking.

"You're the dude that I met last time."

Rolling his eyes, he stated, " _Obviously_. But what I meant, dear Buttercup"—he smirked, seeing of how that I was narrowing my eyes at him—"is if we met some time back in the past."

"I think not," I spat at him, frowning. As I started to push him away, I stated, "Now if you'll excuse me—"

He quickly gripped my shoulders, keeping me pinned against the tree.

"What the hell?" I shouted, glaring at Takeshi in the process.

Smirking, he stated, "Maybe this should remind you…" Before I could ask him what in the world he was talking about, I felt his right hand travel down from my shoulder to my arm to my waist. He paused temporarily at that spot before raising an eyebrow at me. "Remember now, dear Buttercup?"

I started trying to push him away, but for some reason, he didn't move, which didn't make sense. I was transformed as _Buttercup_ , for crying out loud, so he should've flown away or something while I pushed him. Or at least budge a little bit so I could escape! But for some reason…Takeshi didn't budge—at all. Realizing this, I began to panic slightly, trying to figure out what the hell was going on right now. None of this made any sense, for crying out loud.

When he saw that I made no response except glaring at him, he smirked and let his right hand move further down slowly, stopping at my skirt. Feeling his hand touch my skin, I flinched and stopped pushing him away.

"Remember now?" He asked, smirking still.

Glaring at him, I quickly slapped his hand away before hissing, "I oughta kick your freaking ass for doing that!"

He sighed as he shook his head, completely ignoring my threat just now.

Just as I was about to punch him with my left hand, he quickly caught it with his right hand. At this, my eyes widen. Now this _really_ didn't make any sense at all. Narrowing my eyes at him, I hissed, "This could be considered sexual harassment, you know."

He completely ignored what I said and stated, "Still don't remember?" Pausing, he then added, "Well, maybe this hint should help… Remember the time of when there were three boys running amok in the city, causing mayhem everywhere, even though they were just pranks?"

I froze immediately as I continued to listen to him, not even realizing that my eyes had gotten wide.

Smirking, he continued, "And here's another hint: Remember of when you and the other Powerpuff Girls Z had to blow a kiss towards them when they received new powers from Him? Remember now, dear Buttercup?"

Of course. I should've known.

The dark green eyes.

The black hair.

The pale skin.

The way he was touching my skirt earlier… Of course, he was trying to flip it!

"Oh, so you remember now, hm?" He asked, smirking still.

Takeshi.

Butch.

Takeshi's _Butch_.

Blinking a couple of times, I realized then that meant the other two boys that Miyako and Momoko went out on dates with—they were Brick and Boomer!

I instantly snapped out of my thoughts when I realized that _something_ was touching my thigh. (This is one of the reasons why I hate wearing skirts…)

Quickly, I slapped his hand away before hissing, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Well, I would've done this to you last time we met, but considering of how witnesses were practically everywhere, I couldn't," he replied before smirking and added, "So, I've decided to taken advantage of this situation."

He started leaning in before I pushed his face away with one of my hands. It was then I realized that one of his arms was around my waist while the other was on my thigh _again_. Before I could yell at him, though, a thought occurred to me. The Rowdyruff Boys Z were _younger_ than us, so the dude before me _couldn't_ be Butch. Butch should be around thirteen right now, not seventeen or eighteen, for crying out loud!

Unfortunately, it was then I realized that something was on my neck. When I snapped out of my trance once more, I saw that Takeshi's (er, Butch's) mouth was on my neck, kissing it softly while the hand that was on my thigh was squeezing it. At this, I immediately pushed him away and thankfully, this time, it was a success.

"Perverted asshole!" I yelled, pulling my skirt down as I started to back away from him and the tree I was pinned against.

He smirked before chuckling softly, which merely caused me to glare at him. "Oh, well. We can always continue tonight, so I can wait until then."

My face paled slightly and I asked softly, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I know who you are," he replied, smirking still.

"Of course, you do. I'm Buttercup!"

"I meant your secret identity."

I flinched slightly and spat, "I have no secret identity. I'm—"

"Kaoru Matsubara," he interrupted and I felt all of the color drain from my face for a second. He smirked and stated, "Told you I knew."

_How the hell does he know? This…This doesn't make any sense, damn it!_

Narrowing my eyes, trying my best to ignore what he said, I immediately stated, "And you—you can't possibly be Butch."

"Yes, yes, because of the age difference and all, I know," he said, waving his hand around at me before grinning. "Well, too bad for you that I _am_ Butch, just like of how you _are_ Kaoru Matsubara."

"I-I—"

"Remember that night?"

I blinked a couple of times at him. "What night?"

"The second night of when I came around to your house. Do you remember?"

I blinked a couple of times, realizing that I _was_ right! Those weren't dreams at all! They were real! Wait, then that meant…he stole my first kiss and…and…

I could feel my face burn up suddenly, recalling that night.

Chuckling, he stated, "Remember when I was looking through your closet?"

"Why the hell were you doing that anyway?" I spat angrily before adding, "And how the hell do you keep on getting in?"

Ignoring me, he continued, "Well, I found that the very belt you're wearing right now"—he quickly pointed to my Powerpuff Girls Z belt—"is none other than the very one that Buttercup of the Powerpuff Girls Z wears."

Glaring at him, I yelled, "And what the hell does me being Buttercup have to do with anything, _Takeshi_?"

"Takeshi's just my alias, you know," he replied before adding, "Nonetheless, remember when I told you I had feelings back then for a girl? The reason _why_ I even went out with Himeko in the first place?"

He started taking a step towards me and every time he did that, I took a step backward. It's not that I was a wimp, but because of the fact that since he's older than me now, that meant that he was _stronger_ than me, considering of how he didn't budge one inch earlier when I tried pushing him away. To put it bluntly, if he grabs any body part of mine, I have little hope of escaping. There was the fact that I could just fly away, but then there's other factors I had to account for. If he had gotten stronger, then that probably meant he had possibly gained other powers too and I _definitely_ don't wanna find out, especially if they're gonna put me in a situation that's just leave me vulnerable and weak.

Glancing back, I realized that he was trying to corner me against a tree again, so I just stood my ground, letting him come closer and closer. On the inside, I was panicking honestly, but I kept my composure while glaring at him. Finally, he stood before me, just about a foot away.

"You know who the girl is, _Kaoru_?" He asked, putting emphasis on my name. Smirking, he added, "Do you?" Seeing of how I made no response, he lifted up my chin, his lips dangerously close to mine. "She's _you_."

My eyes widen and just as he was about to lean in (for a kiss, probably), I immediately slapped him—hard. A red mark was apparent on his cheek and before he could regain his composure, I immediately flew up and away from him, hoping that he wouldn't follow after me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: ...So did the ButchxKaoru-ness make up for it? 8D
> 
> *door slams down*
> 
> Me: o_o
> 
> Kaoru: =_=
> 
> Me: O_O *starts running away*
> 
> Kaoru: DAMN YOU! =A=
> 
> Me: WHAT DID I DO? QAQ I'M INNOCENT!
> 
> Kaoru: LIAR. IF YOU WERE INNOCENT, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE ADDED IN THOSE SCENES!
> 
> Me: WOMAN, I'M A BUTCHxKAORU FANGIRL. AND I WAS IN MY BUTCHxKAORU FANGIRL MOOD. AND I'VE BEEN HAVING A LACK OF BUTCHxKAORU-NESS FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS! =A=
> 
> Kaoru: YOU DIDN'T NEED TO -
> 
> Me: YES, YES, I DID. IT'S PART OF THE FREAKING PLOTLINE OF THIS FANFIC =3=. BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTCH!
> 
> Butch: *pops in*
> 
> Kaoru: ...Oh, crap.
> 
> Butch: 8D KAORU-CHAN.
> 
> Kaoru: O_O *starts running away from him*
> 
> Me: *runs out of the room and locks the two inside of that room* HAHA 8D! DEJIKO IS TRIUMPHANT. IN YOUR FACE, KAORU 8l.
> 
> Kaoru: =A= *glaring at me as she's running away from Butch*
> 
> Me: Well, anyway, now that that's out of the way, hope you enjoyed the chapter 8D! Review please~ c:


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: ...Holy crap o_o. I CAN'T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY WROTE EIGHT AND A HALF PAGES. VBOEGSG. THIS IS MY NEW RECORD!
> 
> ...Erm, anyway, moving on, this chapter would've been cut in half, but because I worked on this during the week of when I had snow days (I was in a total ButchxKaoru mood then and wrote this in a frenzy), this ended up being a LOT longer than I had expected... Besides, it's been a month since I've updated and I know that most of you are devastated by the wait, so I figured I may as well reward all of you ButchxKaoru fans~ ;D. (You'll see what I mean when you read the chapter, hoho~.)
> 
> You may now begin reading 8D.

This was _not_ good— _at all_.

A villian—Butch of the RowdyRuff Boys Z— _knows_ my freaking identity. Of course, that meant one thing: I was not safe and neither were Sho, my parents and my dog, Takeshi.

Nothing made sense right now as I tried to figure things out. Questions kept on flying around in my head, such as: "Why are they back?" and "Why is Butch _older_?" But the main question was why in the world he had _feelings_ for me.

" _You know who the girl was,_ Kaoru? _Do you? She's you."_

I shuddered at that. In case you haven't noticed, I was already back at the lab with Momoko and Miyako. (We were no longer transformed as the PowerPuff Girls Z, in case you were wondering.) Of course, I told them already about Peach being right about him sensing black aura, since the RowdyRuff Boys Z were back and I encountered Butch after they left. Luckily, Momoko and Miyako didn't ask what _else_ happened between the two of us. (Thank God for that. I simply told them that we sort of…argued, which is somewhat true.)

Of course, I told them of how Takeo and Takumi were Brick and Boomer, which also meant that Takeshi was Butch. Although I didn't get a response from either of the two, I knew that they were depressed over it, judging by of how Momoko wasn't eating any of her sweets while reading her manga and of how Miyako was reading a magazine, glancing at the dark blue scarf that she was knitting beside her every now and then.

At first, I frowned at this sight, but I decided not to make a comment about it. If I knew any better, it's best for me to stay out of their love lives (and besides, it's up to them on what they wanna do).

However, I got sick of the silence and asked out of nowhere, "So do you guys plan on breaking up with them or what?"

Momoko shrugged and mumbled softly under her breath, which I couldn't hear.

Miyako, on the other hand, was silent, staring off into the distance.

Okay, maybe I shouldn't have asked, but I had to know. Since we know for sure now that Takeo and Takumi were Brick and Boomer, that means that Momoko and Miyako were in danger. We don't even know what in the world they're planning. (And judging by the fact of how they're older and all, they're probably a lot smarter than they were back then.)

Frowning, I asked once more, "What do you guys plan to do with them?"

Momoko and Miyako glanced at once another before sighing.

"I…I don't know, Kaoru," Momoko replied softly.

Miyako nodded in agreement before stating softly, "Neither do I."

Growling, I yelled, "Break up with them, damn it! It's not too hard!"

Momoko quickly glared at me. "Kaoru, you don't know what it's like being in a relationship!"

"I was in one before with Narushima!"

"Oh, please, that was only one date and you dumped him afterward!"

"Still!" I exclaimed before standing up. When I saw Momoko scoff at me, I scowled and yelled, "Why the hell are you guys so hesitant about this? They're the _RowdyRuff Boys Z_ , for crying out loud!" When I received no response from them, I continued on, "They're _villians_ —our _enemies_! They could be planning to kill you guys any minute!"

Again, all I had gotten for a response was merely silence.

Eventually, Miyako broke it by saying, "But…even so, Taku—I mean, Boomer treats me really sweetly…"

"And Take—er, Brick isn't really that bad…" Momoko added.

My jaw dropped in disbelief at the two, but I quickly recovered and yelled, "Don't you two get it? That's their _game_! They're making you _think_ that they care for you and the minute when you least expect it, they'll immediately hurt you guys!" When I received no response from the two, I scowled. "Fine! But don't say that I didn't tell you so!"

With that said, I immediately left the lab and slammed the door violently, grumbling angrily to myself on the way to the sidewalk.

Eventually, I ended up walking into an ice cream shop and when I realized my surroundings, I immediately recognized that this was the same ice cream shop that Takeshi (or should I say Butch) and I ate at. Immediately, I scowled and just as I was about to leave, I saw that Butch was walking towards this ice cream shop…with three other girls with him.

I immediately thought: _Oh, crap._

If I left the shop now, Butch would notice me and who knows what would happen. And so, I simply decided to walk up to the counter and order vanilla ice cream.

"You want it in a cup or cone?" The counter girl asked.

I glanced back to see that Butch was opening the door. "Cup and make it stat, will you?"

The counter girl merely raised an eyebrow at me, but handed my order after a minute or so. "That's—"

Immediately, I slammed down my money on the counter and said, "Keep the change." Before she could say anything else, I headed towards one of those booths in the back of the shop and sat down. Of course, I was facing the wall, which meant that my back was facing Butch.

Sighing in relief, I began to eat my ice cream with the spoon the counter girl gave me, glancing out the window every now and then. Occasionally, I heard giggles coming from the girls that Butch was with, which made me roll my eyes.

 _Couldn't they have gone somewhere else?_ I thought to myself, frowning as I was still eating my ice cream. Since they were so loud, I was able to hear their entire conversation, actually.

"Takeshiiii, how about we go to the movies after this?"

"No! Let's go to the park instead!"

One of the girls scoffed and said, "We just came from there, you idiot!"

I groaned softly and muttered, "Why, oh, why couldn't they have gone somewhere else?"

"Takeshi? Where are you going?"

"Oh, you girls order your ice cream," I heard Butch reply. "I…need to go talk to someone."

Immediately, I flinched and heard all of the girls whine.

"I'll be back soon, ladies, so don't worry!"

 _Damn it all!_ I continued to curse silently in my head as I slowly slid down my seat, hoping that he isn't coming over to talk to me.

Just as I was about to take another bite, I felt something breathe against my ear, which made me flinch and turn my head to look at _Butch_. Oh, _joy_.

Scowling, I turned my head towards the window, taking another bite from my vanilla ice cream cup in the process.

"Aw, c'mon, don't be like that, Kaoru," I heard him say. When I glanced to my right, I found that he was sitting across from me, which made me scowl even more.

 _Well, trying to avoid him didn't work, so I may as well try to ignore him,_ I thought, hoping that this plan would work instead. I turned my head back around, but only to take another bite from my ice cream, closing my eyes in the process.

"Kaoru, c'mon…"

I didn't bother to respond to him, since I was taking another bite from my ice cream.

"Kaoru-chan~. C'mon, don't ignore me like this!"

I had to resist the urge to flinch when I heard him add the suffix "chan" to my name. Opening my eyes, I found that he was facing me still, pouting slightly. Ignoring him, I took another bite from my vanilla ice cream.

"Kaoru, I know you're angry about earlier, but still!"

_Angry? Angry doesn't even describe what I'm feeling towards you, asshole!_

If it weren't for the fact that my spoon was in my mouth, I probably would've blurted that out to him. Of course, that didn't help the fact that my eye twitched at what he said.

Taking the spoon out of my mouth, I quickly scooped up another spoonful of ice cream (I realized then that was the last spoonful of my ice cream) and just as I was about to put it in my mouth, I felt a hand on my wrist. Before I knew it, my spoon was in _Butch's_ mouth and my eyes went wide.

He smirked before taking his mouth off of my spoon. "Finally got your attention."

Glaring at him, I tried to jerk his grip off of my wrist, but I unfortunately failed, which made me narrow my eyes towards him.

Frowning, he asked, "Still not willing to respond, huh?"

I made no response and simply continued to try to get his grip off of my wrist, which, unfortunately, was in vain. Damn his stupid freaking strength!

Sighing, he said, "Look, if I let you go, will you not leave?"

I scowled at him, pausing momentarily at my attempts of getting his grip loose.

"I'll take that as a 'no,' then."

Rolling my eyes, I was about to continue to my attempts at getting his grip off of my wrist (I'm a stubborn girl, alright?), but just then, he suddenly let go. Of course, my natural reaction was to quickly run towards the exit, but he immediately went to sit right next to me. At this, I glared at him, especially since I basically had no way out now.

After blinking a couple of times, he asked, "Still not talking to me, huh?"

Turning my head away from him, I looked out the window while frowning slightly.

"So, that's a 'no' also?"

I didn't even bother to respond or say anything to the boy. After I heard him sigh, I had to resist the urge to grin, since it sounded like he was about to give up. Well, that is until I felt something wrap around my freaking waist!

As soon as I turned my head around, I found myself face to face with Butch, who was simply smirking at me. And did I mention the fact that his face was _dangerously_ close to _mine?_ Yeah, definitely not good!

"What the hell?" I exclaimed, trying to push him away. I'm pretty sure that I had everyone's attention in the shop by now, but I didn't care. This freaking idiot had his arms around my waist!

"Finally! You spoke!"

I glared at him. "Let go of me, asshole!"

"I will—if you promise me one thing," he replied, having that mischievous glint in his eyes appear again, like it did before.

Frowning, I asked, "What exactly is it?"

Leaning his forehead on mine, he whispered softly, "If you'll go out with me."

"LIKE HELL THAT'LL HAPPEN!"

By then, I'm _pretty_ sure that everyone's eyes were on us, considering of how when I glanced around, _everyone_ was looking at us, even the employees and the manager! You'd think that they'd kick us out, but no, instead, they continue watching! I mean, what the hell?

"Aw, c'mon, just say 'yes' and I'll leave you alone."

Scoffing, I asked, "Are you deaf?"

"Possibly," he replied, smirking still. "Perhaps you can cure me of my deafness with the soothing sound of your voice."

Ugh, he's hitting on me… Why am I have not slapped him yet? Oh, right, because everyone's watching and it's awkward already since they're watching us… That and the fact that he's still blocking my freaking pathway!

Just as I was going to retort, I heard someone say, "Erm, Takeshi-kins?"

When I looked behind him, I saw that the group of three girls from earlier were standing there, each pouting towards him. Although I didn't pay attention to them earlier, I did now, considering of how their clothes made me frown. Each of them were wearing those v-shaped t-shirts, emphasizing all of their busts (even though they were all designed differently), along with a short skirt reaching about midway of their thighs. And don't even get me _started_ on their hair and shoes…

Butch turned his head around while still not letting me go, raising an eyebrow at the girls. "Yes, ladies?"

 _Let go of me, damn it!_ I thought angrily, glaring at him.

"I thought…we were, you know, going to eat and hang out…together," one of the girls said while pouting as the other two girls nodded in agreement.

"I said I'd treat you girls to ice cream," he responded bluntly. "I never said anything about hanging out with you guys."

My jaw dropped before yelling, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He turned his head around and smirked before saying, "Everything. Will you fix me, babe?"

My eye twitched. "You did _not_ just call me that."

Before he could reply, one of the other girls exclaimed, "Takeshi-kins!"

The minute that he sighed was the minute that I immediately pushed him away (by then, I noticed that his arms were no longer around me). He, of course, fell backwards onto the floor and before I could even let him stand up, I immediately ran out of the shop, not even knowing where my destination was.

_Anywhere but there would be good, actually._

When I glanced back as I was running down the sidewalk, occasionally bumping into people (I apologized, of course), I saw that Butch was apparently running after me. My eyes went wide at that and of course, I had to pick up the pace. When I saw that I arrived at an intersection and that the light was red, I panicked slightly.

"Oh God, where to now?" I muttered out loud. When I looked back, I saw that he was chasing after me still while yelling out my name. "Damn it!"

I saw of how the light immediately turned green (thank God for that), so I quickly ran across the street. Apparently, I must've lost him somehow, considering of how I was trying to walk past a huge group of people that were crossing the street from the other side. When I glanced back, I saw that he was no longer there, which made me sigh in relief. Still, I decided to not take my chances and run towards the park.

When I arrived there, I sighed once more (both in exasperation and relief) after sitting down on the grass, leaning my back against the tree. Looking around, I found that he wasn't here at all, which made me grin slightly.

"Hell yeah, I lost him!" I exclaimed, pumping my fist into the air. Mostly everyone in the park would be sitting near the fountain and since I was far away from it, not a lot of people were over where I was at.

"Lost me? Babe, I'm right here."

Immediately, I looked to my left and jumped slightly, screaming in the process before falling backwards onto my back. Sitting up, I yelled, "What the hell? I thought I lost you!" After a moment, I added while glaring, "Wait, did you just call me 'babe,' again?"

He immediately got down onto his knees and before I could react, he quickly pulled me towards him, wrapping his arms around me. My back was apparently against his chest as he was leaning against the tree. The fact that his chin was on my shoulder was _definitely_ not helping the situation.

"Let go of me!" I yelled, trying to get his grip off of my waist.

"I don't plan to, so you may as well give up," he replied. You could practically tell that he was smirking. When I growled in response, he added, "Besides, I just wanna talk."

"There's nothing to talk about," I stated angrily. "Now, _let me go, you idiot_!"

"If I let you go, then you'll run away and I'm pretty sure that I have to explain myself to you, right?"

"There's nothing for you to explain about!" Okay, I was lying, but I just wanted him to let go of me already!

"Oh, so you're not wondering why my brothers and I are back? Or the fact that we seem to suddenly have an interest in you girls? Or why we're older and stronger?"

At that, I flinched slightly, reluctantly deciding to stop resisting. Angrily, I asked, "And? So what if I am?" By this time, he had loosely let me go, so I could turn around to face him. The only downside was the fact that his arms were still around me, which made me frown.

Shrugging, he asked before grinning, "Well, don't you wanna know?"

Narrowing my eyes, I replied, "I don't see any point in trusting the information that you'll be giving me."

He frowned. "Why?"

"You're a _villian_ ," I replied, glaring at him, which made him frown even more. "Besides, just the other day, you were saying of how you wouldn't be interested in a girl like me. And now, you're suddenly…doing all of this crap!"

"It's not 'crap.' It's a way of showing my love to you," he replied, smirking still.

Rolling my eyes, I groaned. "Will you please stop with those stupid lines already? They won't work on me."

"Hm, you're right."

"Thank you," I muttered, sighing in relief.

"It's probably better if they're used while we're in bed."

I could've sworn my face went red (out of embarrassment or anger, I don't know), considering of how my cheeks suddenly felt so hot. "W-What the hell?"

Smirking, he stated, "I'll take that as a 'yes.'"

"To what?"

"To using those lines while we're in bed, babe~."

Immediately, I glared at him before trying to punch his face. Unfortunately, he caught my fist, which made me growl at him and yell, "Damn you!"

Chuckling, he replied, "Say what you want." Before I could say anything, though, he opened my fist with that very hand of his and lightly kissed my palm. "But don't you dare deny that there's nothing going on between the two of us."

Quickly, I pulled my hand away (and unfortunately, I felt my cheeks get hotter) before whispering angrily, "Oh, please. You're just acting this way towards me because you know about… _that_."

Grinning, he shrugged. "What do you expect? I've basically confessed to you while we were out in the woods, you know."

"That wasn't a confession! That was another act of sexual harassment!"

"Like, I said the previous night, Kaoru," he whispered before pulling me towards him and leaning his forehead against mine. "It's not sexual harassment if you happen to enjoy it."

"I wasn't enjoying it!"

"Oh, so there was some other reason as to why your cheeks were red? Like of how they are now?" He asked, raising an eyebrow while smirking. Damn his stupid smirk!

Growling, I immediately pulled myself away from him (successfully, if I may add and thank God for that, also) before standing up and stomping away from him.

"Kaoru!"

Turning my head around while still stomping away, I saw that he was standing up also, leaning against the tree still. "Not listening, asshole!"

"Don't you wanna know, though?"

Scoffing, I replied, "I can find out on my own!"

"Oh? So have you made any progress on investigating your dog?"

I froze in my tracks immediately before turning around to fully face him. "What did you just say?"

Smirking, he replied, "I'll take that as a 'no,' then. If you can't make any progress on that, then you'll never be able to figure out why my brothers and I are back."

Frowning, I stomped back towards him before crossing my arms across my chest. "Oh, like you know anything about my dog."

Raising an eyebrow while smirking still, he replied, "Oh, I don't know about that… I know a lot of things and one of them just happens to be information about your dog."

Narrowing my eyes, I responded, "Alright, then. Tell me."

"Only if you'll go out with me."

"I told you my answer to that already!"

"Alright, then," he replied while shrugging. "Good luck with investigating him then!"

Just as he was about to walk away, I shouted, "Wait!"

He turned around before walking back and raising an eyebrow, grinning in the process. "Yes, babe?"

Narrowing my eyes, I stated, "First off, don't call me that."

"So you're agreeing to the deal?"

"Secondly, don't you have a girlfriend?"

"Tons." Once he saw that I raised an eyebrow at him, he added while rolling his eyes, "They're not serious, Kaoru."

"I'm not gonna let you cheat on some other girl, damn it!"

"I'm not going out with anyone at the moment! Why else would I be asking you out?"

"Well, excuse me for not trusting a player like you!"

Sighing, he said softly, "Look, ever since I found out that you were…you know…" His voice trailed off, but he continued on. "I haven't gone out with anyone at all."

Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "What about the time of when you dragged me to the movies, huh? You said something about going out with some other chick."

Smirking, he asked, "Is my Kaoru jealous?"

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Like that would happen. And I am not yours!"

"Not yet, you're not."

Groaning, I stated, "Just answer the damn question, will you?"

He shrugged. "It was just a lie."

"Why?"

"Well, you already thought of a player, and I needed something to cover up the fact that I only wanted to hang out with you that day, so…"

Frowning, I rolled my eyes. "So just because I'm _that_ , you're suddenly paying attention to me."

"Pretty much, yeah."

Narrowing my eyes, I scoffed softly before muttering, "Figures." He frowned and before he could say anything, I added, "Look, I don't wanna go out with someone, even if it's for some deal or whatever, that has this other image of me in his mind, alright? I've done that already in the past and I'm not gonna repeat that again."

Blinking a couple of times, he asked, "Past?"

Rolling my eyes, I stated, "Just stay out of my life from now on, alright? And tell your brothers to stay out of my friends' lives!"

"Oh, we can't do that," he replied. "Especially since my brothers and your friends are already going out."

Scowling, I yelled, "Fine! You stay out of my life, then!"

Before I could even let him respond, I was already walking away from him. Thankfully, this time, he didn't dare to come after me.

* * *

By the time I went into my room, it was already 11 P.M.

To put it bluntly, I was exhausted—period. The minute I got home was the minute that I had to do my share of the chores for the day. My mother even made me vacuum around the house, along with cleaning the kitchen and bathroom floors and whatnot… If you add that in with what else happened today, it'd be no surprise that I'd be exhausted, so the only thing I wanted to do right now was to just sleep.

The minute I crawled onto my bed and under the covers made me sigh in satisfaction…until I felt something snake around my waist. My eyes immediately widened at this and just as soon as I was about to scream, my mouth was covered.

I had only one thought in mind, which was none other than: What the hell is going on?

It was then that I felt someone's breath near my ear and the person whispered, "Kaoru, I'll take my hand off your mouth if you promise not to scream."

I frowned, but nodded slightly. The moment he took my hand off was the moment that I turned around to face the culprit: _Butch._ (It wasn't that hard to recognize his voice, honestly.) He still had one of his arms around my waist, which made me scowl at him.

Smirking, he asked, "Something the matter?"

"Oh, yeah!" I whispered sarcastically. "Like, oh, I don't know, the fact that _you're in my freaking room!_ " I whispered angrily at him. "And in my freaking _bed!_ How the hell do you even get in here?"

The fact that it was already eleven meant that everyone in my house was already asleep. Knowing my parents and of how they are, I _really_ don't want to accidentally wake them up and find that there's a _boy_ in my _bed_ …with me in it, if I may add. The fact that Butch having his arm around my waist wouldn't help the situation either, honestly…

Smirking still, he simply whispered, "It's a secret, dear Kaoru."

I groaned softly at this, which made him chuckle, apparently. Before I could possibly try to push (or kick) him off of the bed, he pulled me closer…which is _so not a good thing!_ As I tried to keep my composure (I'm pretty sure my face was somewhat red already, due to the proximity between our faces), I whispered angrily, "State why you're here before I kick your ass— _now._ "

At this, he stopped smirking and the atmosphere suddenly changed once his body hovered over mine.

I merely raised an eyebrow at him before asking, "Well? Are you going to state your reason or do I need to kick your ass out of my house? 'Cause I will _not_ hesitate to do that."

The only reply I received from him was silence, which made me scowl.

Just as soon as I was about to kick him off of my bed, he immediately asked, "Who was the dude?"

I blinked a couple of times at him, trying to figure out what he meant before asking, "What dude?" After a pause, I added, "Are you talking about my—"

"No, I don't mean your father or your brother," he interrupted. Sighing, he added, "I meant who was the dude from that…past of yours or whatever."

I frowned. "It's none of your freaking business."

"It _is_ my freaking business because you're _mine_ ," he growled.

Glaring at him, I hissed angrily, "I'm _not_ yours."

He chuckled, but the fact that the atmosphere didn't change meant that he was still serious. "We had this conversation earlier today, Kaoru. Right now, you're not mine, but one day, you _will_ be." As he said this, he was leaning in towards my face, his forehead resting against mine. When he chuckled once more, I felt his breath upon my lips. "Your face is so red…"

Narrowing my eyes at him, I quickly turned my head away before trying to push him off of the bed, which was a complete failure. (How many times have I tried to push him away? Five? Ten?) Unfortunately, I had somewhat expected this. I couldn't even kick where the sun doesn't shine because of the position he took!

Forcing my head to face his with one of his hands, he whispered, "Don't you dare look away from me, Kaoru."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why shouldn't I?"

He smirked before brushing his lips against mine, which made me flinch. "The fact that I have this kind of effect on you makes me really happy, you know."

"The fact that you're doing these kind of things to me makes me feel like kicking your ass," I retorted angrily.

He chuckled before kissing my cheek softly. "Resistance is futile."

Narrowing my eyes at him, I asked, "Is this punishment for not telling you about the dude?"

He shook his head, smirking. "No. Remember what I told you?"

"Told me what?"

"That we'd continue _tonight?_ "

At this, my eyes grew wide. I had _completely_ forgotten about that! Oh, crap! If I had remembered that earlier, I would've went to go sleep over at Momoko or Miyako's house or something! Or even sleep in the living room! Gah! God damn it all!

Hearing him chuckle made me snap out of my train of thoughts, which made me frown at him. "What the hell is so funny?"

"Well, you know, we're doing things that lovers would do."

I flinched at this and angrily whispered at him (since my parents were asleep), "We're _not_ lovers!"

"Fine. Boyfriend and girlfriend, then."

"We're not that, either!"

"Well, we're either one of those two, since we're not exactly friends with benefits now, are we?" He smirked even more at this.

"We're _neither_ ," I retorted, narrowing my eyes.

"So, you _really_ don't want information on your dog?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me. Just as I was going to tell him that I didn't need his help, he added quickly, "Besides, I know that you're thinking about the deal."

As much as I hate to admit it, he had a point. If he really did have information on Takeshi, then I can try to somehow find out what in the world is going on with my dog. Of course, the fact that he's a RowdyRuff Boy just screams at me that I shouldn't trust him at all.

"I told you already that I don't want to date someone that has this other image of me in their head," I replied, frowning.

"But you're… _that_. So basically, she's you and you're her," he replied before brushing his lips against mine. I flinched at the contact, which made him frown slightly, but he seemed to recover since he added, "I don't see any difference."

"Correction: There is a difference. I'm a normal teenager—"

"That happens to be _that_ and kicks monster butt."

I frowned at him. "The point is that I don't want to go out with you."

"Even if information about your dog is at stake?"

I nodded.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, then. How about we make a bet?"

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"If you can push me off of the bed successfully—or any other method, for that matter—then I will leave you alone."

"For good?"

He nodded.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you serious?"

He nodded once more. "You won't ever hear from me ever again. RowdyRuff Boys Z's honor." After a pause, he added, "And you have until midnight to do so."

Glancing at my alarm clock, I saw that it was only 11:15 P.M. Forty-five minutes seemed like enough time. Even though I knew that he had the advantage, I couldn't back down from his challenge. That would show that I was a wimp and I'm _definitely_ not a wimp!

Sighing, I nodded. "Alright, then."

Before I could say anything else, though, his lips crashed onto mine immediately. His hands—I could feel them starting to roam _southern_ , which made me immediately turn my head away from his. Luckily, that stopped the movement of his hands as well, but that didn't prevent the fact that his hands were resting on my hips.

Glaring at him, I whispered angrily, "What the hell are you doing?"

He smirked before whispering in my ear, "I told you that we'd continue tonight. Did you really think that I wouldn't do anything to you for the next forty-five minutes?" Just as I was about to retort, he added, "Also, I don't plan on leaving until I've had my daily dose of you, my dear Kaoru~."

I growled. "You've had your so-called daily dose of me already!"

"That's not enough to satisfy me, though," he replied, smirking.

Before I could reply, he kissed me once more on the lips, letting his hands roam around my body slowly. Even though I tried pushing him away, my efforts were in vain. I knew that, but I continued to try. The fact that I could hear my heart pounding didn't help the situation either.

When he had finally pulled away, I sighed in relief, but flinched the minute I felt his hands against my _skin_. When I glanced down, I saw that his hands were under my shirt, which I think made my face turn even more red (if that was possible). Immediately, I tried pushing him away once more, hoping that I'd succeed this time, but once again, it was in vain.

He smirked at me before brushing his lips against my neck. "Don't worry, Kaoru… I won't do anything serious to you… _yet_."

Immediately, I glared at him, but made no comment since I was still trying to push him away.

He chuckled and kissed my neck softly, leaving a trail from it to near my lips.

Growling, I whispered angrily, "You're a jackass, you know that?"

Butch merely smirked in reply before kissing me on the lips again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: ...The page length + ButchxKaoru-ness = epic pwnage, no? 8l
> 
> Kaoru: GODDAMMIT, BUTCH. LEAVE ME ALONE =A=!
> 
> Butch: BUT, BUT, BUUUUUUT DDDDDD8!
> 
> Kaoru: LEAVE. ME. ALONE. =_=
> 
> Me: ...Kaoru is so gonna kill me once she reads this chapter :'DDD. Nonetheless, I hoped you enjoyed it ;D. (Hopefully, none of you ButchxKaoru fangirls died spazzing...or something... xD) Review, please~ c:


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: OH, DAMN, I'M ON A ROLL. SEVEN AND A HALF PAGES, DUDES 8D.
> 
> Kaoru: DEJIKO! =_=
> 
> Me: Erm, yes? o-o; *leans in towards door* ...Wait, you read the last chapter, didn't you? ._.
> 
> Kaoru: GEE, WHAT DO YOU THINK? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? =A=
> 
> Butch: She's just a ButchxKaoru/Buttercup supporter, so don't blame her, my dear Kaoru~.
> 
> Kaoru: GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!
> 
> Butch: But you know you want me~.
> 
> Kaoru: YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS, DEJIKO! =_=
> 
> Me: 8'D *clears voice but isn't backing away from the door* Erm, enjoy the chapter, anyway, peeps! x'D

"Alright, now _spill_."

"Now, now, Kaoru, you gotta learn to be patient. After all, we're on our first date and it just started."

Growling in response, I merely slumped in my seat, glaring at him in the process. As you could probably tell, I lost the bet from last night (to be honest, I don't ever want to think about that ever again!), so I had no choice but to go one at least one date with this dude. Hell, I could always break up with him later on, right? The only upside to this was that I'd receive information about Takeshi, my dog. So far, though, Butch hasn't told me _anything_ about him—at all. And frankly, that was starting to piss me off.

He apparently led me to some freaking fancy restaurant of some sort (why he said our first date was going to be here, I have _no_ idea). Compared to nearly every other person around here, he and I were the only two people that were wearing casual clothing. Everywhere I looked, people would be wearing fancy dresses or tuxedos. Hell, even the waiters/waitresses were wearing something fancy! (I have no idea about the chefs, though.)

And not surprisingly, Butch was attracting attention— _again_. And when I say "attracting attention," I'm referring to _female_ attention. Seeing this, I couldn't help but sigh irritably. Now, I'm not saying that I'm jealous (which I'm _so not_ ). It's just that it's _really_ getting on my nerves.

Oh, yes, did I mention the fact that even the _waitresses_ are flirting with him? For the past couple of minutes, different waitresses would be coming by to our table, always asking if Butch needed anything else (they completely ignored me) and then immediately asking pointless questions that weren't related to their job. And when I say "pointless questions," I mean questions such as: "What's your name?" and "Hey, handsome, how you doing?" and even questions that were plain blunt: "Do you have a girlfriend?"

My eye would always twitch whenever one of them mentioned that _cursed word_ because every time they did, Butch would just smirk, practically making all of the other females watching swoon and reply that _I'm_ his girlfriend. Some of them even dared to tell him to ditch me and go for someone better (AKA themselves), but he'd just reply that he's content with having only me.

I, on the other hand, just wanted information already. That's the only freaking reason why I even bothered to meet up with him, for God's sake! The fact that he was practically ignoring them, though, was amusing to watch, causing me to snicker a couple of times. Eventually, our _actual_ order came and a waiter brought it (thank God for that), bowing and telling us to enjoy the meal.

I merely eyed at my meal for a couple of seconds before glancing at Butch, seeing of how he only had a drink of some sort.

"Something the matter?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Frowning, I replied, "Didn't you order a meal?"

He nodded in reply.

"Then where the hell is it?"

Smirking, he stated, "Aw, my Kaoru really _does_ care about me."

Glaring, I scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"Oh? Then why haven't you eaten yet?"

"I'm being considerate, that's all."

"Of what?"

"The fact that you're possibly hungry and—" I stopped immediately, shutting my mouth quickly. Damn it! I should've eaten and then tortured him into giving information about my dog to me! God, I'm such a freaking idiot!

He smirked before taking my fork and quickly eating from my meal, earning a protest from me. Smirking still, he stated, "Well, obviously, you care about my well-being. Since my meal hasn't come yet, I'll eat part of yours instead."

I frowned. "So you have to use my _only fork?_ "

"Well, do you expect me to eat with my hands?" He replied sarcastically, but grinning nonetheless. Taking another bite from _my_ meal with _my_ fork, he then asked, "Besides, you can always eat from this very fork."

"Hell no!"

"Why not?" Immediately, he smirked. "I mean, we've done _many_ things, but refusing to eat from a fork?" Shaking his head while grinning, he merely chuckled.

I scowled in response.

Before I could say anything else, though, the same waiter from earlier came by, looking very nervous. Hesitating, he stated, "Sir, I apologize, but it appears that your meal will take some time to prepare."

"Why?" Butch asked, raising an eyebrow before taking another bite from my meal.

"Well…" The waiter's voice trailed off, shifting his eyes around.

Ignoring the fact that Butch was eating away, I asked, "It's not because of those waitresses from earlier, is it?"

Sighing, the waiter merely nodded. "So many of them insisted on being the one to give the order to your boyfriend—"

"He's _not_ my boyfriend!" I yelled immediately.

Butch merely smirked. "Ignore her; she's just in denial."

" _Denial?_ I'm not in denial!"

"Continue, waiter," Butch stated, completely ignoring what I just said.

Clearing his voice, the waiter stated, "Well, as I was saying, so many of them insisted on giving you your meal that there was a big commotion over it and, well…to put it bluntly, it may take some more time to get your meal ready again, sir."

I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Why is it that wherever we go, there's always some sort of commotion about _you?_ " At this, I glared at Butch.

Smirking, he replied while shrugging, "Can't help that the ladies love me, my dear~."

"Don't call me that!"

"Well, anyway, don't worry about it; I can wait," Butch said to the waiter, who merely nodded in response. "If the waitresses are going to make a fuss over it, then feel free to cancel it. I'm content with eating from my girlfriend's plate anyway."

"I'm not your girlfriend!"

"Oh, right… Sorry, I meant my lover."

I could've sworn my face went red, since I immediately thought of everything we had done, especially since my cheeks felt _very_ hot. "We're not that either!"

"Oh my, your girl is certainly in denial, isn't she?" The waiter commented, which made my jaw drop in disbelief.

Butch merely grinned before stating, "See, Kaoru? Even the waiter agrees with me!"

Glaring at Butch, I groaned before exclaiming, "Okay, you know what, I'm out of here!" As soon as I got up and went to walk past Butch, I felt something pull me back. Unfortunately, I landed on Butch's _lap_ , which made me glare the culprit just before he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Now, now, Kaoru, you haven't even eaten yet," he stated, smirking at me.

"Well, a _certain someone_ here apparently took my fork!" I retorted and before he could respond, I tried getting up, but of course, knowing him, he wouldn't let me. Glaring at him, I immediately turned my head towards the waiter and asked, "Isn't this sort of thing _bad_ to do in public, especially at restaurants?" Glancing around, I saw of how _everyone_ was staring at us. Oh God, this feels like a repeat of what happened in the ice cream shop!

"Well, actually, this restaurant is considered a place of where mainly couples come to eat," the waiter responded calmly. "So sometimes, couples would do something such as this. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to tend to the other customers." With that said, he immediately walked away (probably sensing my anger).

I frowned immediately before glaring at Butch. "You _knew_ , didn't you?"

"Knew what?" He asked, feigning a look of innocence. Smirking, he added, "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

I merely scoffed in reply, rolling my eyes. Trying to get off of him once more, I failed (again for what seems like the hundredth time), which made me scowl and glare at him. Seeing of how one of his arms tightened around my waist, I narrowed my eyes before asking angrily, "Let me go, will you?"

"Hm, sorry, can't," he replied, smirking as he pulled my plate closer. Turning his head to face mine, I realized then our proximity…which also meant that my cheeks suddenly turned red, judging of how they felt hot. "I'm pretty sure you're hungry and I don't like it when you're hungry because of me."

"I can handle starving for a while," I retorted softly, frowning.

"Still, you need to eat, just like what you told me earlier."

"I never said anything like that!"

"Well, you were implying it."

"That didn't mean for you to eat off of my plate, though! And to use my fork, either!"

Immediately, he held up my fork and smirked. "Want me to feed you?"

Snatching my fork out of his hands, I grumbled angrily under my breath. I stared at my meal for a bit before glancing at my fork, frowning due to the fact that _his mouth_ touched _my_ fork. I mean, I admit that I'm hungry, but _still!_ He ate with _my_ fork!

"I refuse to eat," I stated bluntly, frowning still.

"Aw, c'mon, now. You're not worried about an indirect kiss, are you?" Receiving a glare from me, he smirked, which made me scowl even more at him as he said, "It's just a fork."

"That you _ate_ with," I added, narrowing my eyes at him.

He merely shrugged. "So? You still need to eat."

"And I just told you that I refuse to eat!" I exclaimed. By then, everyone (the customers, actually) was already murmuring, probably discussing about the two of us. After all, only the waitresses (the ones that came by to ask Butch about himself) and the waiters only knew that I was female.

"Is that a boy or girl that the handsome boy's with?"

"Looks like a boy to me."

"No, it couldn't be… Look at the eyes."

"Oh, right, they look pretty feminine…"

"But…it looks male."

Yup, I was right. (Of course…)

"I'm female, god damn it!" I yelled, silencing the murmurs immediately. "If you people have time to discuss about other people's lives—" Quickly, I was silenced by none other than Butch's hand. When I glared at him, he was smirking at me before looking at those that paid attention to us.

"Now, now, everyone, what my girlfriend"—at this, I narrowed my eyes at him and tried protesting, but once his other hand rested on my _thigh_ , I stopped immediately, inwardly hoping that this date would hurry up and be over with—"meant to say was that it's better for all of you to hurry and get back to enjoying this delicious food, no?" He quickly smirked, which, of course, made all of the women in the room blush and head back to minding their own business. (I'm pretty sure that most of the guys were jealous, judging of how they were sending him death glares. Butch ignored them, of course. Though, if anything, I should be more worried about those dudes than Butch…)

Slapping his hand away, I whispered angrily, "I could've handled the situation myself!"

"If I let you handled it yourself, we would've gotten kicked out."

"For what?"

"For causing such a huge commotion."

"And what we're doing isn't causing one?"

"We're merely attracting attention, Kaoru," he replied, smirking still. "There's a difference."

My only response to him was a groan before adding, "If I eat, then will this date be over with?"

He frowned slightly. "Do you really want this date to be over with?"

I nodded quickly and whispered, "What do you think? You know very well my reason for even being here in the first place!"

Grinning, he stated, "Well, you _did_ lose the bet."

Quickly, scenes of what happened last night started to occur in my head before feeling that hot sensation on my cheeks. Turning my head away, I quickly faced my meal, snatching my fork out of his hands before eating it while ignoring the fact that my face was red. Even if his mouth touched my fork, it's better than letting him know that I was blushing _because_ of him. That will just add onto his ego, for crying out loud!

Wrapping both arms around my waist (that didn't really help to the fact that I was already blushing, if I may add), he let his head rest against my shoulder. Although I refused to meet his gaze, it was obvious that he was smirking.

Moments passed as silence engulfed the atmosphere, which was pretty awkward, if I may add. I merely continued to eat, ignoring the fact that he had his arms wrapped around my waist while resting his head on my shoulder. Of course, that meant that his head was practically next to _mine_ … Nonetheless, the silence merely continued as I continued to chew when I noticed that he hadn't drunk out of his…well, whatever it was. (I honestly have no idea what he ordered.) After all, it was practically full and upon seeing this, I merely frowned.

"What's wrong? Food's not good?"

I flinched slightly because since his face was so close to mine, I could practically feel his breath. Shaking my head to cover the fact that I flinched, I replied, "Well, it's just that you haven't drunk your drink yet" Pausing momentarily, I added, "What the hell is it, anyway?"

Reaching an arm forward, he grabbed the cup of liquid and drank from it. I merely stared at him while he drank it. I mean, don't get me wrong! I'm not attracted to him or anything, but the fact that he didn't even try to piss me off about it was somewhat surprising. Before I knew it, he was already done drinking the entire thing and smirking at me, which made me scowl immediately.

Wrapping both arms around me once more, he whispered softly, "You sure that you're not starting to like me as well?"

Scowling even more, I merely scoffed in disgust. Closing my eyes while turning my head away to face my meal (that was almost done, if I may add), "Like that will ever happen."

"You were staring, though~."

"So what if I did? I was thinking about some things, alright?"

"Ooh," I heard him reply before feeling something hot against my ear. "So what exactly were you thinking about?" Before I could even respond, though, his arms wrapped even tighter around me, which surprised me, honestly. When I turned my head around to try to respond, he was leaning in… Wait, is he trying to _kiss_ me? _AGAIN?_

My eyes went wide and just as soon as his lips were about to brush against mine, one of the waitresses from earlier came by (you know, the ones that were trying to get to know Butch and all) before clearing her voice. Her eyes looked somewhat irritated, though, honestly, I was thankful that she came by.

Unfortunately, Butch merely glanced at her, letting his forehead rest against mine before brushing his lips against mine. After flinching slightly, I glanced at the waitress and saw that she momentarily looked irritated before smiling. Quickly, I merely turned my head away from Butch before going back to eating. When Butch rested his head on my shoulder, though, I glanced at her and she was practically resisting the urge to seethe in anger. The fact that Butch had his arms around my waist still didn't help the situation either, if I may add.

Clearing her voice once more, the waitress stated, "Takeshi-kins?"

I had to resist the urge to groan. Have I mentioned the fact that every waitress here called Butch by "Takeshi-kins"? That's also getting on my nerves as well. You'd think they call him by "Takeshi-kun," but no, instead they call him by "Takeshi-kins."

Considering the fact that I didn't feel his head shift, I assumed that he didn't bother to look at her when he asked, "Yeah?"

"Your meal has arrived," she replied and when I glanced at her, I could practically feel her sending daggers at me. Though, honestly, she didn't scare me, so I merely rolled my eyes in response. Just as I was going to eat the last bite of my meal, though, Butch immediately _ate_ it.

Glaring angrily at him, I asked, "Why the hell did you just eat that?"

He shrugged. "I got hungry."

"Your meal's right there, for crying out loud!" I exclaimed, pointing at the meal that the waitress had put down on the table.

"It's too far away, though," he whined before resting his head on my shoulder once more.

I merely narrowed my eyes at him, scoffing before putting my fork down while rolling my eyes. As soon as I stomped on Butch's foot and he yelped in pain, he had let go of me, which I took as an opportunity to get off of his lap and stand up.

The waitress, though, immediately pushed me aside before heading towards Butch, practically cooing to him if he was alright and all. (To be honest, I could've sworn that she muttered, "Here's my chance!")

Scoffing, I merely headed out of the restaurant before shaking my head once I went out the door. "The hell… It's like a repeat of what happened at the ice cream shop." Just as soon as I was going to walk away, I felt someone wrap their arms around me. Turning around, I found that it was Butch (of course; why am I not surprised?).

"If you wanted to leave, you could've said so," he stated, smirking.

Narrowing my eyes, I asked, "So you were faking your so called pain, then?"

He merely nodded in reply. "Apparently, you've seemed to forgotten that I'm stronger than you." At this, he grinned while I frowned immediately. Before I could retort, he added, "Besides, you don't think I didn't notice the fact that the waitress was glaring at you?" Shaking his head, he muttered, "Note to self: Never come here again…"

"Wait, you've been here before?"

He merely nodded before holding my hand and pulling me, causing me to walk beside him. "I've been here on my other dates."

Quickly, I frowned. "Do you just immediately lump me in with every other girl you've dated?"

"No, I just figured that you'd rather go eat an actual meal than ice cream," he replied, grinning slightly, which made me frown even more. "Though, I usually only go there when I have to break up with girls." When he saw that I was frowning still, he added quickly, "Not that I wanted to break up with you or anything."

"Actually, I'd be more happy if we were apart," I replied, rolling my eyes.

Sighing, he stated, "Well, anyway, that's kind of why that waitress was glaring daggers at you. She's usually the one that ends up ruining my dates—"

"Why not just go out with her, then?" I interrupted, frowning.

Smirking, he asked, "Is my Kaoru jealous? You seem _very_ irritated."

"I'm irritated at the fact that the date's not over yet, you idiot," I replied, frowning still. Blinking a couple of times, I immediately exclaimed, "Wait, did you even _pay?_ "

"Didn't need to."

"Why not?"

"It was on the house."

"Why?"

Sighing, he replied, "'Cause the chefs insisted on saying that it was on the house."

"And why is that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

"'Cause of the fact that whenever my brothers and I are around in that restaurant, customers tend to come by immediately. Didn't you see that the place was practically full of people?"

Blinking a couple of times, I merely nodded in response before feeling his grip on my hand tighten slightly. Frowning, I asked, "So are you going to give me information _now?_ "

He stopped walking and turned to face me, simply smirking before pulling me towards a nearby park. I merely let him lead the way as he continued to hold my hand, which made me frown until finally, he and I were standing underneath a tree. Turning around to face me, he shrugged in response, gesturing for me to begin, but only held up three fingers.

Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "Three?"

He nodded. "Normally, I'd wait until our date actually ended"—at this, I immediately frowned, since that meant that our date really wasn't over yet—"but since you kept on asking, I figured I may as well be Mr. Nice Guy and let you ask away. However, you're only going to ask three questions, so keep that in mind."

"What are you, a genie?"

He chuckled in response before raising an eyebrow at me. "You _do_ realize that you just asked two questions, right?"

"What? Those weren't my questions, though!"

"And that makes it three."

"Hey!"

He chuckled once more before stating, "Alright, alright! Now, ask away."

Sighing, I asked, "What exactly do you know about my dog?"

"A lot of things."

"Such as?"

"The fact that he acts human-like and such, doesn't he?" At this, he smirked while my eyes widened.

"How the hell do you know that?"

"I have my ways, Kaoru," he replied before adding, "Now, you just asked three questions, so—"

"Can't you just tell me what the hell is going on with my dog instead of making me do all of this crap?" I exclaimed, frowning before narrowing my eyes.

"That wouldn't make it fun now, would it?" He replied, smirking in amusement. "Besides, he's _your_ dog. I'm just giving you _information_ , which I did."

"No, you didn't! You said what I already knew!"

"Well then, I guess you should choose your questions more wisely," he replied, smirking in amusement still. However, when he saw that I was still frowning at him, he sighed and said, "Fine, I'll tell you some _actual_ information."

"Finally!"

"But only if you give me something in return," he added, smirking once more.

My eyes widened. "I already went on a date with you!"

"That only shows that we're dating now, though. I want something _more_ than that." At this, I couldn't help but gulp softly, seeing of how his eyes had that _same_ emotion from last night, but much less intense. Leaning in towards my face, he whispered, "Though, knowing you, you probably wouldn't agree to it."

"Of course not!"

Smirking, he stated, "Which means that you'll have to kiss me in order to get the information."

My eyes widened even more at this. "WHAT?"

"You heard me, my dear," he responded, grinning before wrapping his arms around my waist and letting his forehead rest against mine. "If you want the information, you'll have to kiss me."

"No way in hell am I doing that!"

"Oh, so you don't want the information, then?"

"I do, but—"

Leaning in even more so that his lips brushed against mine, he whispered, "Then kiss me."

My face, for what seemed like the hundredth time, felt hot once more and I tried to cover it up by frowning, but considering of how he was smirking, it didn't help the situation. _C'mon, Kaoru, think, think! You don't want to kiss this idiot! It'll just add to his ego!_

"Well?" He asked, interrupting my thoughts, smirking. His lips were still dangerously close to mine, since they brushed against mine once more. Before he could even say anything else, I immediately pulled away as much as possible before reluctantly kissing him on the cheek (after hesitating, of course).

"Kaoru!"

At this, I pulled away immediately to find that Momoko and Miyako were there with their boyfriends, Takeo and Takumi—or should I say, Brick and Boomer.

Looking at them and then Butch, I immediately pushed Butch away (successfully, if I may add, which surprised me for a second) stated, "It's not what you think!"

"Kaoru, you just _kissed_ him!" Momoko exclaimed.

"On the cheek!"

"But you're _Kaoru!_ A kiss on the cheek is serious! And to boot, it's Takeshi!"

Nodding in agreement, Miyako pondered for a moment before asking, "You're not going out with Takeshi-san, are you?"

Immediately, I felt flustered and then exclaimed, "I'm telling you that I have a good reason for—"

"Kaoru-chan, why on the cheek~?" Butch immediately whined. "Even though we're dating now and we've done a bunch of other things—"

Quickly, I elbowed him, causing him to grunt slightly. Once I glanced at Momoko and Miyako, though, they looked…well, I don't think I need to say it, do I? Before I knew it, they told the boys to excuse them and then they ended up pulling me away from the group. Once we were far away enough, they immediately bombarded me with questions—that is, until I told them to shut up and to ask one at a time.

Sighing, they looked at each other and asked simultaneously, "Are you going out with Takeshi?"

"I did it for information, which I was _about_ to get if you guys hadn't—"

"Information?" Miyako asked, raising eyebrow at me.

"What information, Kaoru?" Momoko then asked, also raising an eyebrow at me.

Shaking my head, I merely responded, "It's something that you guys wouldn't understand…" When I saw their confused faces, I added, "Trust me on this. You wouldn't understand—at all." _Well, more like you wouldn't believe me…_

"Kaoru, we're the…you know," Momoko began, "so whatever you tell us wouldn't be shocking."

Nodding in agreement, Miyako added, "After all, we live in a city full of monsters, so…" Pausing, she then added, "Oh, which reminds me! Kaoru, you still have Takeshi, right?"

"Which one? My dog"—immediately, I pointed back at Butch—"or the idiotic pervert over there?"

"Your dog," Miyako stated, which I then nodded to.

"Oh yeah!" Momoko then exclaimed and seeing that I looked utterly confused, she added, "Why don't we have a dog play date some time?"

Raising an eyebrow at them, I stated bluntly, "Last time I checked, you guys don't have dogs."

They both blinked at me before stating, "We never told you?"

It was then my turn to blink. "Wait, you guys _also_ have dogs now?"

"Well, we've been having them," Miyako stated nervously.

Momoko merely laughed nervously before adding, "I guess we've been so busy with Takeo and Takumi that we forgot to tell you…" Clearing her voice, she added, "Anyway, what do you think?"

I merely shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

"Great! Takeo and Takumi will—"

"Wait, _what?_ "

"What is it?" Miyako asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your dogs—they have the same names as your boyfriends?" Quickly, I shook my head before adding, "Well, aliases, but you get the point!"

They simply nodded in response before Momoko stated, "But it's common for people to have the same names as something else and all."

"I know that, but…" Sighing, I asked, "What do they look like?"

"They're pretty much Labradors, like Takeshi," Momoko replied.

"Well, except that Momoko-san's dog has orange fur with red eyes while mine has blonde fur and blue eyes…" Miyako added, her voice trailing off at the end.

My eyes widened at this before looking back at the trio of brothers known as the RowdyRuff Boys Z. Sensing that something didn't add up here, I quickly frowned before grabbing the girls' hands and walking away with them.

"Kaoru, what are you doing?" Momoko exclaimed immediately.

"We need to talk," I whispered at them and before they could ask, I added, "And it's a private matter, so we need to head back to the lab in order to talk about it." Seeing of how they were looking upset, I quickly yelled at the boys, "We have an emergency! We'll see you guys tomorrow!"

Brick, Boomer, and Butch merely looked at us in confusion and before they could even say anything, I had already zoomed off with Momoko and Miyako.

Something _really_ didn't add up here and I knew that I had to get to the bottom of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Sorry if it feels like a filler chapter, but...this was somewhat needed, to be honest :'D. It's part of the plot, so x'D. And besides, you guys got to read about their date~ x3
> 
> Kaoru: DEJIKO! LET ME OUT OF HERE, DAMN IT!
> 
> Butch: Kaoru-chan~.
> 
> Kaoru: GAH! GET OFF OF ME!
> 
> Me: *snickers* Anyway, even though Kaoru is being tortured by Butch -
> 
> Butch: Which she enjoys! 8D
> 
> Kaoru: NO, I DON'T! =A=
> 
> Me: c': Well, moving on, review please! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I feel so dead right now. *headpillows*
> 
> Kaoru: DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME! I STILL NEED TO KILL YOU =_=!
> 
> Me: IT'S NOT MY FAULT STRESS IS AFFECTING ME EAE! I'M SLEEPY AND SLEEP DEPRIVED AND I WOKE UP FROM AN HOUR NAP, LIKE, 2 HOURS AGO.
> 
> Kaoru: DOES IT LOOK LIKE I FRE - DAMMIT, BUTCH, LET ME GO!
> 
> Butch: Nooooope~.
> 
> Kaoru: BUTCH...!...Wait, where do you think you're - PERVERT! STOP THAT!
> 
> \- Kaoru starts screaming and yelling her butt off while Butch is just making perverted sentences/suggestions towards Kaoru -
> 
> Me: ...I'm too tired to even fangirl. *corner* I'm a pathetic fanfiction authoress QAQ. Anyway, I apologize for not updating in such a long time. The reason why was because I had my AP European History exam last month and I ended up studying my butt off for that. When you add that in with Biology (my Biology teacher is so evil...), it's completely stressful for me, especially since I'm trying to get a really high GPA.
> 
> So, instead of working on my school crap (ex: projects/homework/reports/etc.), I've decided to finish this chapter up, since I haven't updated for almost 4 months already. I actually had most of this typed up before, but because of other stress that life is giving me, I've had no choice but to put off FanFiction from time to time. Thus, it explains why when I logged onto FanFiction after such a long time, I was shocked by the layout...
> 
> Well, enough of my rambling/excuses. Hope you enjoy -
> 
> \- insert more of Kaoru's screaming and furniture being thrown about in the room and Butch STILL making perverted suggestions to Kaoru -
> 
> ... 8'D Erm, like I was saying, enjoy!

"Why won't you two believe me?"

"It sounds too far fetched, Kaoru!"

"But it's a freaking possibility!"

"Stop arguing, you two!" I heard Miyako exclaim. When I glanced at her, I found her looking at the two of us with a stern look. Before I could say anything, though, Miyako then added, "Arguing isn't going to solve anything."

In case you couldn't tell, we were already back at the lab with Miyako sitting down on the couch while Momoko and I were standing up, facing each other due to our previous argument. Though, Momoko was originally sitting on the couch while I sat on a regular chair nearby.

"But even so, her idea is a bit far fetched, Miyako!" Momoko exclaimed, waving her arms about for emphasis. (Why in the world she needed to do that, I have _no_ idea.)

Sighing, I stated (as calmly as I could), "It's a _possibility_."

"That's a bit too farfetched!"

"God damn it, Momoko! Are you even listening to what I'm saying?"

"I _am_ listening to what you're saying! I'm just saying that it sounds a bit farfetched!"

"How could it be farfetched? The boys are _older_ than us now! There has to be _some_ explanation for that!"

"Maybe Mojo made them older!"

"How could that have been possible? They were gone for who knows how long!"

"They've been gone for a year or two, at least," Miyako stated calmly before sighing at the two of us. Momoko and I quickly shut up, staring widely at Miyako. Sensing this, Miyako merely asked, "What is it, you two?"

I blinked a couple of times. "How the hell do you know that, Miyako?"

"The Professor told us. Remember?"

Momoko blinked a couple of times before realization was shown upon her face, causing her to smile widely. "Oh, I remember now! The boys left on some sort of journey, right?"

I, on the other hand, was now staring at the two blankly. "Hah?"

"Remember, Kaoru? Mojo said so," Momoko stated as Miyako nodded in agreement.

I merely blinked a couple of times before responding bluntly, "But that doesn't explain how the hell Miyako knew it's been like a year or so unless she's been keeping track!" Pausing, I quickly narrowed my eyes at Miyako. "Miyako… You haven't been keeping track of how long the boys were gone, have you?"

Miyako quickly shook her head. "Taku—I mean, Boomer told me."

I blinked a couple of times. "Wait… SO THE BOY ACTUALLY TOLD YOU?" Before letting Miyako respond, I quickly exclaimed, "Hah, I told you, Momoko!"

"Oh, whatever!" Momoko retorted, scoffing.

Miyako, though, quickly said, "Well, it was after I confronted him about it. Otherwise, I don't think he would've ever told me."

"So then, Momoko's basically in love with Brick," I stated bluntly.

"So what if he's Brick? I still have feelings for him and that doesn't change anything!" Momoko exclaimed, clearly blushing. (Whether it be out of anger or the fact that she basically confessed to having feelings for a RowdyRuff Boy, I don't know.)

Sighing, I stated, "Look, can we just get back to the matter at hand here? All I'm saying is that the boys could be our dogs!"

"And I'm telling you that's impossible!" Momoko yelled.

"It's possible!"

"No, it isn't!"

"Actually, it's not possible," Miyako added. Seeing of how Momoko and I went completely silent, she added, "I've had Boomer and Takumi in the same room before, so it's not possible that they're the same person."

I blinked a couple of times. "But…"

Momoko quickly nodded in agreement. "And actually, Brick and I went on a walk with Takeo before, so…"

Blinking a couple of more times, I then exclaimed, "Well then, what about Butch, huh? I bet he's probably my dog! And I won't believe that he's not until I see it with my own eyes!"

Just then, the door to the lab slammed opened. And when I say slam, I _really_ mean slam. It was so loud, you could've heard it all the way from the farthest room in this freaking house/lab! (Well, I don't know what the farthest room in this house/lab is, though… But you get my point!) And in walked none other than Butch (speak of the devil!) and…Sho? And TAKESHI?

I merely blinked a couple of times before muttering, "I stand corrected…"

"So you believe us now?" Momoko whispered, raising an eyebrow.

My response to her was merely a nod and a soft grunt.

Miyako then stood up before also whispering, "Does Sho even know the way to get here…?"

I blinked a couple of times before shaking my head. Before I could respond, though, Butch cleared his voice. When I glanced at him, he smirked, which I responded back with a mere glare. Takeshi, on the other hand, simply barked with his tail wagging back and forth while panting, sitting on his hind legs.

"I said that we'd see you tomorrow," I growled angrily at Butch, narrowing my eyes.

"Tomorrow seems so far away, my dear," he replied, smirking still.

"Stop calling me that, jackass!"

Shrugging, he stated, "Besides, it's not my fault your brother was looking for you." At this, he nodded towards a confused Sho.

Sighing irritably, I stated, "Sho, why did you trust him?"

Sho merely blinked a couple of times at me. "Well, he's your boyfriend, isn't he?"

"He's _not_ my boyfriend!"

"Then what is he?"

"He's an idiot that you shouldn't hang around"—at this, I quickly pulled Sho away from Butch, who was still smirking at me while Takeshi simply sat by his side—"because I don't want you to resort to his freaking level."

"But you hang out with him, don't you?"

"I have a perfectly good reason for that!"

"Which is why I'm here," Butch stated, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "You left after simply giving me a kiss on the cheek—"

"WHOA! MY SISTER _KISSED_ YOU?" Sho yelled loudly. "So you two _are_ dating, then!"

"We're _not_ dating!" I yelled in response.

Before I could say anything else, though, Butch had already grabbed a hold of my arm, practically dragging me out of the house/lab despite my protests. Of course, I was quickly silenced the minute he said that he'd carry me (bridal style, if I may add), so I let him drag me out. Once I found that I was laying against the pavement and out of the house, I glared at him, while he merely looked down, smirking at me.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I stated, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Everything, my dear," he replied before reaching out a hand to help me up.

"Stop calling me that!" With that said, I slapped his hand away, still glaring at him while I got up, patting my clothes to brush off any possible dust or dirt. When I glanced at him, though, I found him frowning, but he quickly went back to smirking at me. Frowning, I stated, "Why the hell is your face like that?"

"Like what, my dear?"

Groaning, I exclaimed, "Stop calling me that already, will you?"

"If it annoys you this much, then I think not," he replied. Grabbing my hand and pulling me away from the house, he stated, "I just like of how you kissed me so willingly~."

"On the cheek! And it was for the deal! You know that!"

"True, but I never expected for you to _actually_ do it."

I merely frowned in response. "Our date's over, you idiot, so let go of me!"

Quickly, he stopped walking. It was then that I realized we were on the corner of the street, waiting for the light to change from red to green. Turning his head to face me, he stated, "Well, if I remember correctly, you ran off before I could tell you anything."

"Well, I had to discuss something with Momoko and Miyako! Is that so wrong?"

He merely shook his head. "Nah. But it would be nice if we'd spend more time with each other, don't you think?"

By then, before I could respond, we were already walking across the street since the light changed. About midway, though, I quickly pulled my hand away, glaring at him. He, of course, turned around, raising an eyebrow at me. For once, I actually saw him having a calm look on his face. It was strange, in my opinion, so it nearly threw off my composure, but nonetheless, I regained it by narrowing my eyes at him.

"No, I don't think so," I hissed angrily. Turning around, I stated, "We can continue the date tomorrow, can't we? You can tell me, then!" I didn't want to let him have the last word, so I quickly ran off. To be honest, I was expecting him to run after me, but when I glanced back, instead of seeing that same calm face I saw, it was replaced by a smirking one. At that, I couldn't help but wonder what the hell he was up to.

* * *

Hours had already passed and I was back at home, sitting on my bed in room. Sho had came by earlier. At first, I thought it had been because of some other problem (like, I don't know, maybe a first crush or something?), but he told me that Takeshi and Butch looked really alike. He even found it weird of how the two had the same name (Butch obviously has to use his alias, so Sho didn't know his real identity), so he asked me if I chose to go out with Butch because his color traits were similar to Takeshi's. Of course, my only response to that was simply throwing my pillow at him while threatening him. By then, he already fled out of the room.

I couldn't help but sigh at this, burying my face in my hands. Here I thought I was one step closer to actually figuring out what was with Takeshi (I mean, if Takeshi was actually Butch, everything would make sense), but he's not! The two were in the same room together, for crying out loud!

Sighing in irritation, I merely muttered, "So much for trying to figure everything out." I glanced at the time, seeing that it was already almost eleven. Sighing once more, I merely headed towards my closet, already lifting up my shirt in the process.

"Damn… I never thought I'd live to see the day of where you'd actually strip in front of me."

Quickly, I pulled my shirt down before turning around to face none other than Butch, who was laying on my bed on one side, facing towards me. My eye twitched slightly before exclaiming (as softly as I could), "What the hell are you doing here? Wait, how the hell did you even get in here the first place?"

He merely frowned in response. "C'mon! It was getting to the good part!"

"Will you be quiet? My parents are sleeping!"

Shrugging, he replied, "Sure, but only if you continue stripping for me~."

"There is no way in hell that I'm gonna do that for you! And tell me how you always manage to get in here, damn it!"

"That's a secret, my dear~."

"Don't call me that, jackass!"

He merely smirked even more, shrugging in response. However, he then frowned and muttered under his breath (which I managed to hear), "If I kept my mouth shut, then maybe I would've saw some more…"

Quickly, I grabbed a pile of clothing (don't ask) from my closet and threw it at his face. Unfortunately, it wasn't that very effective, but at least I got a reaction out of him—well, somewhat.

Instead of him freaking out and such, he sat up and stared at the pile of clothes in his lap. Blinking a couple of times, he muttered, "These are your clothes…"

"Yeah, they're my damn clothes, you—" I stopped immediately, seeing of how he lifted one of my shirts up and started sniffing it. My eye twitched and immediately, I ran over, snatching my shirt out of his grasp. "What the hell are you—"

Before I could say anything else, though, I was suddenly pulled towards the bed, closing my eyes immediately. When I opened them once more, though, I found myself laying on my bed with Butch hovering above me.

He slowly leaned in towards my ear before whispering, "Gotcha."

I merely rolled my eyes and tried to sit back up, but he merely pinned me back down, which caused me to glare at him. "This is getting _really_ old, _Takeshi_."

Before I knew it, his lips brushed gently against mine, which caused me to flinch and then turn my head away. To my dismay, he immediately forced me to look back at him with one hand. There, I saw merely his dark green eyes glowing in the darkness and his smirking face. His lips then brushed against mine once more and my eyes widened. Quickly, I tried getting out of his grasp by struggling, but as always, they were in vain. Suddenly, I felt his breath upon my neck and glancing down, I saw that his lips were brushing against it, which caused me to struggle even more.

"It's your fault for throwing a pile of your damn clothing towards me, Kaoru," I heard him whisper softly into my ear. Suddenly, I had this suspicion that he was smirking, which he probably was. "Next time, how about you throw a pile of your underwear at me instead?"

"Like hell I'll do that!" I exclaimed softly, trying to push him away. "Why the hell are you even here?"

"Well, I was planning on just talking, but…you know, change of plans."

"Then what exactly was it you were going to tell me?"

He pulled away quickly, pondering a bit. "Hm, I guess we _could_ talk it out first…" At this, I sighed with relief. However, I then flinched when he added, "And then we can continue with this later~."

"Like hell we will, you idiotic pervert!" And with that said, because he had his guard down, I immediately pushed him off of the bed, causing him to land onto the floor. Glaring at him, I added softly, "Now explain."

"Aw, but can't I explain while we're in bed together~?" He asked, smirking still.

My only response to him was throwing my pillow at him.

He quickly caught it before it touched his face, unfortunately. Sighing, he then held up three fingers. "Ask me three questions and—"

"I don't wanna hear any of that question crap," I interrupted, narrowing my eyes. "Just tell me what's going on with my dog."

He raised an eyebrow, but smirked. "I will, but on one condition."

I merely narrowed my eyes even more at him, already knowing what it was without him having to explain.

"You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

I merely nodded, but glared at him.

"So will you agree?" At this, he smirked even more at me.

Hesitating, I nodded slowly and before I knew it, he pounced onto me—literally—and I ended up finding myself against his chest. Glancing up, he was smirking at me and I felt his arms tighten around my waist as he pulled me closer. Of course, I was about to push him away, but he merely raised an eyebrow at me. Normally, I'd ignore it, but seeing of how he had a grave look on his face, I decided against it and cooperate.

He merely sighed before pulling me even closer in order to rest his head against mine. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Anywhere is fine," I muttered softly, feeling a bit awkward. It's not often that I'd see such a serious look on his face. To be honest, I was sort of at a loss of words. To boot, since my hands were against his chest, it made the situation become even more awkward for me.

"Well, from what I've gathered about your dog, he's…not normal."

Scoffing, I muttered while rolling my eyes, "Obviously."

I heard him chuckle before he continued on, "Anyway, strange things happen to Takeshi mainly on the night of the full moon."

Glancing up at him, I saw that he was looking out the window. Following his gaze, I saw of how it was almost a full moon. Of course, I frowned slightly and looked at him before stating, "Full moon? You're kidding me, right?"

He looked back at me and grinned. "Unfortunately, no, I'm not."

"My dog is not a freaking werewolf, you know."

"I never said that now, did I?"

I narrowed my eyes at him while he merely grinned. Rolling my eyes, I asked, "Anything else you gonna tell me?"

"Well, in a couple of days, there will be a full moon. On that day, you should keep an eye on Takeshi."

"I know that, you idiot," I replied, narrowing my eyes. "I meant if there's anything else besides that."

He didn't respond, which caused me to raise an eyebrow at him, as he looked out the window once more. When he looked back down at me, though, he rested his forehead against mine and whispered, "Nah, that's about it."

I narrowed my eyes. "That's it?"

"For now."

I merely narrowed my eyes even more at him in response.

Grinning, he stated, "Now it's time for you to hold up your end of the deal."

Sighing bitterly, I merely nodded. "Fine. Go ahead and…" Immediately, as my voice trailed off, I felt my cheeks get hotter by the second. Clearing my voice, I continued while looking away, "Just do whatever you wanna do to me. It's only fair."

He forced me to look back him, though, while raising an eyebrow before grinning. "Well, what do you know? My dear Kaoru is blushing."

"Shut up! I am not!"

"Then what do you call it when a person's cheeks are red, hm?" Chuckling, he added, "Besides, that's not what I meant by the condition."

I raised an eyebrow at him immediately. "What the hell are you talking about? Isn't that what you wanted?"

He shook his head. "Remember that night of where I questioned you from that…past of yours?" At this, he frowned immediately.

Of course. He wanted to know about _that_. And I _agreed_. Sighing, I then stated, "If it makes you feel any better, I dumped him after the first date."

"But you said that you went out with someone that has some other image of you in his mind. And I wanna know who that person is."

"He was just a senpai of mine back then!"

"I don't care; tell me about him."

I merely frowned. "Why are you so interested in knowing about my past relationship with him?"

"I told you: you, Kaoru Matsubara, are mine and mine _only_ ," he stated, smirking, which made me frown even more. "So, did you realize how much of an idiot he was after the date ended?"

"No, I just lost interest in him because, well, I only liked him for his…muscles," I replied softly, feeling my cheeks get hot. "Back then, I thought that muscles made a man."

"Because of your father?"

"Yeah. Not that surprising, is it?"

He shook his head before smirking. "If muscles don't make a man, then what does?"

"Pride, of course!"

He smirked even more and leaned in towards my ear, whispering, "Well then, you should be happy because I'm a combination of that."

I quickly pulled away from him, but not so much that he actually let go of me. Rolling my eyes to hide the fact that my cheeks still felt hot, I stated, " _Anyway_ , he came running after me once I dumped him, saying of how he realized the true passion or whatever and asked for me to give him another chance. I rejected him, of course, and left him in tears."

"Tears?"

"He was actually somewhat crying," I replied dryly, shrugging. "Looking back on it, I can't help but feel stupid on why I even dated him in the first place."

"And just how exactly did you two start dating?"

At that question, I flinched immediately and I felt Butch pull me closer, brushing his lips against my cheek. I shook my head so he'd pull away and stated, "Uh, stuff happened."

"Care to elaborate?"

"I'd…rather not."

He blinked a couple of times. "If you don't tell me, I'll strip you."

My eyes widened. "What the hell are you—" My mouth shut immediately when I felt his fingers against the skin of my waist and I cursed silently in my head. "Alright, I'll tell you! Just…" My voice trailed off as I narrowed my eyes at him and glanced at his hand.

Smirking, he pulled his hand away, letting that arm wrap around my waist once more. "Well?"

I merely hesitated under his gaze. The fact that he was staring at me so seriously, but held me so affectionately made it a bit… Well, actually, I don't really know how else to describe it other than just plain awkward. I felt his lips brush against my forehead and flinched quickly. When I glanced up at him, he merely raised an eyebrow at me, having that serious expression upon his face once more.

Sighing in defeat, I replied, "I… Well, Senpai wasn't exactly a dude that would like someone like me…" At this, I merely pointed to myself while smiling bitterly. "You see, he was more of the kind of guy that would want a really feminine girlfriend. So, I had no choice but to actually ask Miyako for help. Momoko always failed with her crushes back then, so obviously, I didn't wanna ask her. Nonetheless, the two actually helped me out pick an outfit and…yeah." I merely shrugged. "So basically, I had to act completely the opposite of myself during the date, even if I did accidentally snap a couple of times towards my father's opponent…

"Ironically, Senpai asked me to a wrestling match that had my father and this one dude. I forgot his name." I shrugged and continued on, "Anyway, Senpai rooted for his opponent and I was struggling on whom to root for, so…" Once again, I merely shrugged. "I don't know. Him interfered eventually, because of his dark particles and all, so the Powerpuff Girls Z had no choice but to interfere. And thus, I dumped Senpai because I realized how much he sucked as a guy and how much I was actually changing myself for a dude." Rolling my eyes, I added, "Happy now?"

When I looked up at him, though, he was frowning completely. Actually, he looked pretty pissed off, which honestly scared me. This wasn't the pissed off look you get when you get made fun of by someone. This was actually the pissed off look that made you look _murderous_. I gulped softly and before I could say anything, he pulled me even closer, brushing his lips against mine before kissing them—forcefully, if I may add.

I don't know what the hell happened, but before I knew it, I was pushed against my bed and practically getting felt up by his wandering hands from my back to my very bottom to even my _thighs_. Eventually, I managed to pull my face away successfully, but instead, his lips merely moved towards my neck, leaving a trail of kisses that felt _really hot_ to my collarbone. At one point, he growled, seeing of how he realized that my shirt was still on. Immediately, I felt him trying to pull my shirt up with his hands, but I quickly pulled my shirt back down, glaring at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I whispered angrily.

He merely narrowed his eyes at me, causing me to actually flinch slightly. "Did he touch you anywhere?"

"Huh?"

"What's his name? 'Cause if he _did_ touch you—"

"The only person that touched me in this kind of way has been only you, damn it!"

He leaned in towards my lips, breathing upon them heavily and letting me feel his hot breath. At that point, I realized that my heart was actually pounding really loudly and that my cheeks felt completely hot.

Brushing his lips against mine, he whispered, "He didn't touch you?"

I shook my head, fearing that if I opened my lips, he'd probably do… Well, who knows what this boy will do to me if I did!

"And you're not lying?"

Again, I merely shook my head.

He sighed and I felt him kiss my cheek, which made me frown even more at him. "You should probably sleep now."

I narrowed my eyes at him, but before I could retort, I felt my eyelids getting heavier by the second. The last thing I saw and felt was Takeshi's lips brushing against my forehead before seeing only darkness.


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: BADA-BING-BADA-BOOM 8D!
> 
> Kaoru: ...What in the name of hell are you do - BUTCH, DAMN IT, LET ME GO!
> 
> Butch: Just like I said previously, my dear: Nope~.
> 
> Kaoru: DON'T CALL ME THAT!
> 
> Me: WELL, ANYWAY, I'm officially on summer vacation now, so -
> 
> Kaoru: *starts banging on door* DEJIKO, LET ME OUT OF HERE! BEFORE THIS BOY MOLESTS ME!
> 
> Me: ...I thought he was already molesting you? owo
> 
> Kaoru: WHY DO YOU SOUND SO CALM? =_=
> 
> Me: I'M A BUTCHxKAORU FANGIRL. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT? D8
> 
> Kaoru: Oh, I don't know... FOR YOU TO HELP ME OUT, MAYBE? =A=
> 
> Me: BUT YOU'LL KILL ME DDDD8!
> 
> Kaoru: That's true, BUT I MIGHT GET MOLESTED. MAYBE EVEN RAPED!
> 
> Butch: It's not rape if you enjoy it, Kaoru-chan~.
> 
> Kaoru: GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME, YOU FREAKING PERVERT!
> 
> \- insert noises of furniture getting destroyed and Butch's constant perverted flirting with Kaoru -
> 
> Me: ...I get this feeling this will continue unless I let them out, but if I do, Kaoru will kill me... Hm, this is conflicting :'D. Anyway, I plan on updating this daily, so I should be finished with this fanfic by the end of this week or next week.
> 
> Kaoru: YEEEEEEEEEEEESS! LESS TORTURE FOR ME!
> 
> Butch: Pfft, my dear Kaoru, you keep on forgetting that she still has ButchxKaoru/Buttercup fanfics in mind~. Which means... *smirks*
> 
> Kaoru: ...Oh, God, no. GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!
> 
> \- insert more furniture getting destroyed AGAIN and Butch saying perverted stuff to Kaoru AGAIN -
> 
> Me: 8'D ...Well, anyway, enjoy the chapter, people! c:

I woke with a startle, thanks to my alarm clock and my mother's yelling. Apparently, it was already seven in the morning, which, of course, meant that I only had an hour left to get ready for school and all.

Groaning, I merely buried my face with one of the palms of my hands, grumbling angrily. "It's all that damn Butch's fault…"

I don't know what the hell came over him last night, but one thing for sure is that if I'm late, I'm definitely blaming it on him!

As I was getting ready, though, his voice kept on echoing in my head, for some strange reason.

" _Strange things happen to Takeshi mainly on night of the full moon."_

Pondering for a moment as I got ready, I merely muttered to myself, "Night of the full moon, huh?" Glancing at my calendar, I saw of how the night of the full moon would be this Friday and with that thought in mind, I simply dashed off to school.

* * *

School had already ended that day and I was hanging out with Miyako and Momoko. Well, more like they dragged me out towards the mall. Why the hell they'd drag me to the mall of all places, I have no idea, but considering of how Miyako had _that_ aura around her, I decided not to protest and went along with it.

"Why are we here?" I asked.

"Swimsuits, Kaoru!" Momoko chirped happily while Miyako nodded.

My eye twitched. "Summer isn't even here yet."

"It will be next month! We just have another week of school left!"

"That, and don't you think it's nice for all of us to be shopping together, Kaoru-san?" Miyako asked, smiling as they both dragged me into a swimsuit shop.

"Yeah, it sure is nice," I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes. Once I realized that I was on the floor, I immediately saw of how Miyako and Momoko were dashing around, trying to find the right swimsuit. At this, I couldn't help but shake my head slowly as I sat up, rubbing my head. Standing up, I immediately pat my jeans and stated, "Well, if you need me, I'll be over in the video game—"

"Kaoru-san…"

Immediately, I flinched and saw _that_ aura around Miyako, despite her smile. Laughing nervously, I nodded and decided to stay while watching the two simply run around the store, trying to find the right swimsuit.

However, an hour or two had passed and here I am, sitting on a chair and watching them debate on which swimsuit Momoko should buy. Miyako had already bought hers, which was none other than a two-piece light blue swimsuit that completely covered her bust. After all, Miyako wasn't exactly the person that would show _that_ much skin, so she also bought a light blue towel with white flowers to use to cover her bottom half. Momoko, on the other hand, was apparently debating between a pink bikini and a red bikini, since she already bought some short shorts to cover her bottom half when she wasn't swimming.

"Oh, maybe this red one!"

"No, pink is definitely better, since it'll match your eyes, Momoko-san."

"Yes, but red will match my bow!"

"It's better to match your eyes, though."

I groaned at the two. "You two have been trying to find the right swimsuit for the past hour or two now! Can I _please_ leave?"

"NO!" They both replied.

I merely groaned once more. "Just choose the same damn pink one!"

Momoko blinked a couple of times. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "If you choose red, it'll throw off your hair color and no one's going to take notice of your eyes at all." When the two stared blankly at me, I merely replied, "What? Blame my mother! She's the one that talks about matching stuff and all!"

Momoko and Miyako merely shrugged at each other in response.

"What about you, Kaoru-san?" Miyako asked.

Momoko nodded quickly, smiling. "Yeah, Kaoru! You should get a swimsuit, too!"

I raised an eyebrow at the two. "Why should I? I don't plan on swimming and besides, my old bathing suit is fine."

"Kaoru, that's a _one-piece_ swimsuit," Momoko replied bluntly.

"So?"

"It'll be _summer_ soon. We're gonna go to the beach with the boys eventually, so—"

"Whoa, _WHAT?_ " I exclaimed, standing up immediately. Everyone in the store was obviously staring at me, but I honestly didn't care. I merely narrowed my eyes at the two. "Why wasn't I told about this until _now?_ "

"Because we just planned it yesterday, Kaoru-san," Miyako replied calmly. "Besides, going to the beach during the summer doesn't sound that bad, right?"

"Well, no, but we're going with the freaking _boys!_ Have you two lost your damn minds?"

"No," Momoko replied bluntly before smiling. "We simply fell for the boys; that's all."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. I'm _not_ going and that's final."

"But, Kaoru, it's been a while since we've all hung out together!"

"We're hanging out right now, aren't we?"

"But still!"

"Kaoru-san, please?" Miyako asked, giving me the puppy-dog eyes.

When I glanced over at Momoko, she did the same thing as Miyako, which made me frown. Sighing, I reluctantly nodded and the two immediately went over to hug me.

Pushing them away, I quickly yelled, "Okay, okay! Enough with the hugging!" Sighing, I asked, "So when are we going to the beach?"

"We're going next Saturday, since it'll be the first Saturday that we'll be out of school," Momoko replied, grinning.

I merely nodded.

"But seriously, though; about your swimsuit—"

"Enough about my swimsuit already!"

Miyako and Momoko merely giggled at my reaction while I groaned, wondering how in the world we still maintained to be best friends despite being the PowerPuff Girls Z.

* * *

A few days had already passed since then and I was in school, hanging out with Momoko and Miyako. Thankfully, it was a Friday, so we didn't get to do much. Momoko and Miyako were cheerfully chatting about how next Saturday will be like, since we'll be going to the beach and all. I, on the other hand, was looking at the sky, wondering what will happen today.

" _Well, in a couple of days, there will be a full moon. On that day, you should keep an eye on Takeshi."_

His voice kept on echoing in my head, especially that very line. The only reason why we were eating outside (we're actually having lunch right now, to be honest) was because I suggested it. Rather, more specifically, I suggested that we eat in a more secluded area. Momoko and Miyako were puzzled by this, but they agreed nonetheless.

"Kaoru!"

I blinked a couple of times after hearing my name. Turning my head, I raised an eyebrow at my two friends. "What?"

"We've been calling your name a couple of times now," Momoko stated, blinking a couple of times before raising an eyebrow at me. "Is there something wrong?"

"It's not about… _that_ situation, is it, Kaoru-san?" Miyako then asked.

I shook my head and sighed. "It's just…" When I glanced at the two, they merely continued to stare at me, so I added, "Takeshi visited me a while ago." It was better for me to use the boys' aliases rather than their real names, especially since we were out in public.

Momoko blinked a couple of times before breaking out into a grin. "Oh~? So there _is—_ "

"Shut up, Momoko. This is _serious_ ," I interrupted her, narrowing my eyes at her. Quickly, the grin on her face was replaced by none other than a serious look. When she didn't respond, I sighed and continued, "Look, Takeshi told me that my dog wasn't normal…and I've been wondering if your guys' dogs have been acting weirdly as well."

"What do you mean by that?" Momoko asked.

Miyako, on the other hand, was completely silent, and she actually looked like she was in deep thought. Suddenly, she sighed and muttered, "Well, I _have_ seen strange things happen with Takumi… I've seen him around the house walking on his hind legs once, but when I blinked, he was walking on all fours. I decided to dismiss it, since I thought I was imagining things, but…"

"But?" I asked.

"Lately, it's becoming more frequent."

"Hey, now that you mention it…Takeo's been acting weirdly, too," Momoko stated, biting her lip slightly. "I saw him actually _vacuuming_ the house once when I came home early…"

"At least you didn't see yours actually _pour_ some cereal into a bowl of milk with his freaking _paws_ ," I stated, rolling my eyes. Muttering, I added, "Looks like I was right, after all…"

"Right about what, Kaoru-san?" Miyako asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Takeshi told me that it's best to be on the lookout for our dogs on the night of the full moon."

Momoko raised an eyebrow at me. "And when is that, exactly?"

Hesitating, I replied, "Tonight." Sighing, I added, "I don't know about you two, but I plan on getting to the bottom of this freaking mystery." Standing up and facing the two, I held out my hand and raised an eyebrow at them. "You with me or not?"

The only response I got was a mere smile and nod from both of them.

* * *

Laying in bed, I sighed as I looked out the window, clearly seeing the full moon. Glancing at my alarm clock, it said that it was none other than eleven o'clock. Joy… I had told Miyako and Momoko that it was best for us to communicate with one another through texting, and they had both agreed.

I heard a vibration from my cell phone nearby and upon opening it, I found that Momoko sent me a text message.

_Nothing seems to be happening over on this end, Kaoru._

Just as soon as I was going to reply, Miyako also texted me.

_Kaoru-san, nothing seems to be happening at all. Does this mean that we'll have to pull an all-nighter?_

I sighed bitterly at this. Indeed, this was getting frustrating, especially since it was already eleven, too. My parents were already in bed and so was Sho. Takeshi was also in bed and surprisingly enough, Butch was nowhere to be seen. In fact, he hadn't appeared before me ever since that incident between the two of us a couple of nights ago. It felt weird for me, especially since I was so used to finding him in my bedroom, but I decided to ignore that feeling and focus on the matter at hand.

Sighing, I replied back to them.

_Miyako, just hang in there. I know that you're probably feeling sleepy around this time, but bare with it. This could be the key to figuring out what the hell is going on for crying out loud._

_Momoko, just keep on waiting. Something's bound to happen, eventually._

Closing my cell phone, I muttered softly, "We just have to wait…" I glanced down at my attire. I was still wearing my clothes from school, since I didn't bother to change. Of course, my mother yelled at me for not changing, but I told her that I was lazy and felt tired. Luckily, that excuse worked, since she got off my back. Sighing once more, I went over to my window and looked at the full moon. As soon as I looked down, though, I found none other than _Takeshi_ walking out of my home and out onto the streets.

With my eyes widening, I immediately dashed off, grabbing my keys and as silently as I could, I left the house in a rush, trying to catch up to my dog. Pulling out my cell phone, I sent both Miyako and Momoko a text message.

_Scratch what I said earlier! Takeshi's on the move!_

Immediately, I got two instant replies from them; both saying that their dogs were on the move as well. I merely grunted and frowned as I ran after my dog, trying to keep up with him. Deciding that now was not the time to send them another text message, I shoved my cell in my pocket and continued to pursue Takeshi.

Eventually, he slowed down near an alley and I had to hide around the corner, finding that Takeshi was now waiting at a secluded area in this alleyway. Before I knew it, I heard footsteps and went to hide behind the dumpster. Momoko and Miyako apparently followed their dogs after all and I motioned them to hide with me.

Our three dogs were sitting together, wagging their tails and barking, as though they were conversing with one another. Momoko's dog had reddish-orange fur with red eyes, which I found utterly weird in a dog, especially for a Labrador. Miyako's dog, on the other hand, was a gold Labrador with blue eyes. And Takeshi was the only one that had the darkest fur of them all: black fur with dark green eyes.

"Just what in the world are they doing?" Momoko whispered. However, I quickly shushed her before she could go on, just in case if the dogs might hear us. One thing for certain was that our dogs were _definitely_ not normal.

Our dogs merely continued to bark with one another until eventually, a familiar voice was heard.

"There you are."

Both Miyako and Momoko covered their mouths to block out their soft gasps while my eyes were just wide.

There, standing right at the end of the alleyway near our dogs, were none other than the trio we would easily recognize from a mile away: The RowdyRuff Boys Z.


	15. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Sorry about not updating yesterday ewe;;;. I got distracted by a visual novel my friend sent me...
> 
> \- insert Kaoru still throwing furniture at Butch, who's still saying perverted things to her -
> 
> Me: 8'D ...Anyway, this is a pretty short chapter. It's short for a reason because everything will be explained in the next chapter. So, if you guys are confused or anything...then just wait until the next update (which will either be today or tomorrow, since I'm going somewhere today and I might not be able to update). Take note that if the next chapter is up tomorrow, you can expect that I'll be updating twice, then, which means that chapter 16 will also be up tomorrow. I still plan on following my updating daily schedule, because it's the only way for me to finish nearly all of my fanfics on time for this summer, since I'll be busy next school year, sooooooo 8'D. *completely out of breath*
> 
> Kaoru: ...That's one hell of an explanation.
> 
> Me: ...BUTCH!
> 
> Kaoru: O_O WHAT - NO - GAH, GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU PERVERT!
> 
> Butch: *chuckles* My Kaoru-chan is so cute~.
> 
> Kaoru: SHUT UP, YOU FREAKING - HEY, WAIT, DON'T - WHAT THE HELL!
> 
> Me: 8D Now without further ado, enjoy the chapter! Also, everything will be explained in the upcoming chapters, which means that... Well, you'll see when you read the chapter c:

Words couldn't exactly describe how I felt about this entire situation. I mean, for one thing, why the hell were the RowdyRuff Boys Z here? It just doesn't make any freaking sense! And if I may add, Butch was the one that suggested I should go _follow_ Takeshi, for crying out loud!

My eyes widened once more. _Wait, what if…this was just some trap?_

At this thought, I couldn't help but growl softly. Momoko and Miyako quickly rose their eyebrows at me, but I merely silenced them with another shush. I mean, it all just made sense! No wonder Butch knew so much about Takeshi! However, I wasn't entirely sure about this. It was a simple assumption, after all, so the only thing I could do was just watch from the sidelines, with Momoko and Miyako, of course, and see what the boys were going to do with our dogs.

"Jeez, out of all of the places we had to meet up, it just _had_ to be the alley," Boomer stated, sighing softly as he walked over to Takumi, who merely barked at what he said and wagged his tail.

"Well, we had to change locations, considering of how we were nearly caught last time," Brick stated, taking off of his cap and patting it before placing it back onto his head. Takeo walked over to his side and he bent down, petting his head as Takeo's tail merely wagged. "Blame it on Takeshi."

Butch merely rolled his eyes at his brothers. "Sure, blame it on _Takeshi—_ "

"I meant you, moron," Brick snapped, narrowing his eyes. Immediately, he went over to Butch, who was now glaring at him. Their voices couldn't be heard at all. In fact, it was more like they were whispering, and they sounded pretty angry, in my opinion.

Boomer sighed at his brothers and stated, "Can we cut to the chase already? It's almost midnight, so it's time."

 _Midnight? What's so special about midnight?_ I looked at Momoko and Miyako, raising an eyebrow. They both shrugged at me while shaking their heads, having no idea whatsoever.

Brick merely had his eyes narrowed at Butch before sighing and nodded. Butch grinned slightly at this and whistled, pointing to the center of the alley. Our dogs immediately obeyed his commands, going to the spot and forming a circle. Before I knew it, the boys stood before each dog that corresponded with their color: Brick with Takeo, Boomer with Takumi, and Butch with Takeshi. To be honest, I had no idea what was going to happen, but I decided to keep quiet and watch.

Before I knew it, though, the boys placed their hands above the dogs' heads while closing their eyes. A glow or an aura of some sort from each of the dogs began to show; Takeo's had a red aura surrounding his, Takumi with a blue aura, and Takeshi with a dark green aura. Immediately, those auras began to float into the corresponding boys' hands and before I knew it, the dogs began to…fade away.

My eyes went wide. They just…vanished as though they never existed! This doesn't make any sense!

Once I saw of how there wasn't a trace of our dogs left, I immediately stepped out of my hiding spot, glaring at Butch. "What the hell did you do to Takeshi, you freaking bastard?" Immediately, I began to stomp towards him, anger evidently showing from my eyes, but Momoko and Miyako held me back. I could tell that both Miyako and Momoko were hurt at seeing their dogs suddenly disappearing, but it probably affected Miyako heavily, knowing her.

After calming down, Momoko and Miyako let me go, but I still continued to glare at Butch, who was merely staring at me blankly. When I looked at Miyako, my suspicions were correct. She really _was_ hurt at this as she stared at Boomer.

Stepping forward, she merely asked softly, "Why?"

Boomer looked at his brothers, clearly hesitating. He was scratching the back of his head, raising an eyebrow and after seeing that his brothers nodded, he sighed and stepped forward. "Miyako, we _had_ to."

"But I'm asking you _why_ it was necessary!"

"Miyako—"

"Takumi was my dog, Boomer-kun!" Miyako yelled hoarsely.

My eyes went wide at this. Miyako was rarely the one to snap, so seeing this reaction surprised me. It was then that I realized that Miyako was trying her best to not cry.

Before I knew it, Miyako was already stepping forward some more, looking fiercely at Boomer. "You and I both took him in, seeing of how he was severely injured that day! He had gotten run over by a truck! It was a _miracle_ that he even survived! Or do you not remember?"

"Of _course_ I remember," Boomer stated softly, walking closer to her. I didn't get to hear what he said next, but whatever he said caused her to burst out in tears and she couldn't yell anymore, considering the fact that she started to push him away. "You need to understand that we had to, though…"

Miyako began to talk, but she couldn't, since nothing else could escape out of her mouth as she continued to sob. She eventually stopped trying to pull away from him, seeing of how he just continued to embrace her as he whispered words to her. (My guess was that he was comforting her on what just happened.)

"Care to elaborate on that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at the blonde boy.

His only response was glancing at me and then at Butch. Nodding his head towards me, he then went back to comforting Miyako, who was now sniffing softly.

Butch merely sighed, rolling his eyes. He then looked at me, having that blank face again.

"Well?" I asked, scowling.

"I'm pretty sure all of us would like to know what you boys did with our dogs," Momoko added, narrowing her eyes at the boys, or rather more specifically, Brick, who merely frowned.

Brick then turned his head, narrowing his eyes at Butch and whispered angrily at him. Unfortunately, neither Momoko and I could hear. Miyako was still being comforted and knowing of how she was with animals, I wouldn't blame her, especially after what she said about Takumi. Poor guy…

Butch sighed after hearing Brick finally finished whispering angrily at him. Glancing at his orange haired brother, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Should I explain to them, or would you like to do the honors?"

Narrowing his eyes, Brick replied, "You got us into this mess"—quickly, he glanced at Boomer and Miyako, seeing of how Miyako was still sniffling—"and you'll have to get us out of it."

"It would've been _easier_ if we just told them from the _beginning_ ," Butch retorted, frowning.

"We didn't _have_ to, you freaking moron. You just had to tell Kaoru over there everything just so you could finally get her to go on a date with you!"

Butch scoffed. "Hey, Kaoru's one hell of a challenge! What do you expect?"

"I'm right here, you know!" I yelled, glaring at Butch and before he could retort, I was already running towards him, aiming to punch his face.

Unfortunately, he caught my fist and merely rolled his eyes. "You'll have to do better than that, Kaoru," he stated, smirking.

Narrowing my eyes, I yelled, "Just tell us what you did with our dogs, damn it! Or else I'll kick all of your freaking asses!"

"If you don't calm down, you won't be able to listen to what we have to say."

I merely glared at Butch in response and when I glanced over at Momoko, I saw of how she was already yelling at Brick, glaring at him in the process.

"Baby, if anything, Butch is the one explaining," Brick stated sweetly to her.

"Don't you _dare_ try to sweet-talk yourself out of this!" Momoko yelled, already stomping towards him in anger.

"Now, Momoko, you need to calm down as well—"

"Calm down? You want me to _calm down?_ For crying out loud, you boys did something with our dogs and you want us to calm down?"

"Momo-chan—"

" _SHUT IT!_ "

At this point, Brick flinched and glared at Butch, who merely sighed in response and stated, "Look, if everyone just calms down, then I'll explain everything."

Miyako, at this point, was already done crying, but Boomer was still embracing her. Momoko decided to stop yelling at Brick, who then started to sweet-talk to her. Luckily for him, Momoko was merely scoffing, but I could tell that she already forgave him, judging of how pink her cheeks were. On the other hand, I was glaring at the green RowdyRuff still, scowling.

"Well? You may as well start explaining," I stated, narrowing my eyes.

"Are you calm, though?" Butch asked, smirking.

"Just explain before I kick your ass!"

"Yup, you're not calm."

I growled and yelled, "Just explain why you guys did it already!"

"Only if _everyone_ is calm," he replied and he added while grinning, "And judging by your attitude right now, _you're_ not calm."

I merely scoffed, rolling my eyes as I jerked my first away. "Alright, I get it. Now explain yourself already."

Smirking, he stated, "That's better. Now, just so you know, I'll only be explaining _why_ we did it." He then glanced at his brothers and at Momoko and Miyako. "So if you two girls want to know my brothers' sides of the story, you'll have to ask them and not me."

"What the hell do you mean by that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He merely smirked even more. "Same goes for you, Kaoru. If you wanna hear _my_ side of the story, just ask."

I rolled my eyes. "Just say why you did it already!"

"You want me to say it as bluntly as possible?"

"That's probably the best way to explain ourselves," Brick added, rolling his eyes.

Butch narrowed his eyes at Brick for a second, rolled his eyes and then looked at me. "I'll say it once and once only. The only reason why we did it is because we _needed_ the dogs."

"Meaning?" Miyako asked softly, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm getting to that," Butch replied, rolling his eyes. I immediately hit his head and when he asked why, I merely responded that it was for rolling his eyes at Miyako. Sighing, he continued, "Anyway, as complicated and possibly confusing as this sounds…" He hesitated, glancing at his brothers, who merely nodded.

When he looked at me, I merely raised an eyebrow at him in response, gesturing him to explain already.

He merely stared at me in response, blinking a couple of times before sighing and stating, "Basically, they're _us_ and _we're_ them."


	16. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Only a couple of days since I've said that I'd update daily and I'm already failing at it, ugh.
> 
> Kaoru: THAT'S GOOD. KEEP FAILING AT IT.
> 
> Me: YOUR OPINION DOESN'T MATTER, KAORU =3=
> 
> Kaoru: Well, IT SHOULD, CONSIDERING OF HOW I HAVE TO SUFFER A LOT IN YOUR FANFICS =_=
> 
> Butch: Suffer? Oho, if you mean secretly enjoy what I do to you, then -
> 
> Kaoru: I DO NOT ENJOY THEM AT - STOP TOUCHING ME THERE, DAMMIT!
> 
> Butch: I can't help it~.
> 
> \- insert more destructive stuff happening in the room -
> 
> Me: ...Yup, I'm definitely not letting them out :'D. Anyway, enjoy the chapter, people! (I'll try my best to try to catch up with the updates I'm missing out on, so expect more updates in the future, especially during the same day, since I still plan on following my daily schedule of updating.)

"You see," Butch stated, pausing, "it all started out like this…

"This had taken place at least a year or two ago—around the time of when my brothers and I had disappeared. Originally, we didn't really care about taking over the world and whatnot. Hell, we didn't even listen to the damn monkey. However, one thing for sure was that we _loved_ messing with you girls. Though, ours were more like pranks, even though we tried to take you girls down at one point.

"One day, while my brothers and I decided to visit the monkey, we thought that maybe we could swindle him into getting us food or whatever. At the time, though, we didn't know that the monkey was actually up to something." Scoffing, he rolled his eyes and continued, "He kept on saying that he has a plan on how to take down the PowerPuff Girls Z once and for all. Now, my brothers and I didn't really believe him, since his plans always ended failing. However, when he gave us water for lunch and we drank from it, we became _drowsy_. It was then that we realized that the damn monkey actually had the brains to _trick_ us into taking this concoction or whatever that he made. Before we knew it, when we all woke up, that is, we realized one thing: he made us older—but with a price.

"You see, even though we were older, we were…accidentally also changed into _dogs_. And due to that, we aged by about seven years, since we were gone for about a year or so. Although we were stronger, faster, and more intelligent than we were before, we were also changed into mere _mutts_." At this, Butch merely scowled, glaring at the ground darkly. "And what's even more is that we can't maintain our human form for long."

I blinked a couple of times. "What?"

"Our human form, Kaoru," he replied, smirking. "You know, my sexy body that you obviously can't _resist_." When I glared at him, though, he merely continued to grin before sighing and continued on, "The point is that the form you see right now is our human form."

"Obviously," I stated, rolling my eyes.

Ignoring me, he continued, "We can't maintain it for very long. It…actually depletes our energy."

"Meaning?"

"We'll be changed back into our dog forms, Kaoru," he stated dryly, despite the fact that he had a serious look on his face. "Changing into our human form actually takes up most of our energy as it is already."

"Wait, but that doesn't explain of how there's…basically two of each of you guys," Momoko added, blinking a couple of times.

Butch smirked slightly. "I was getting to that. You see, originally, we waited a while for the damn monkey to come up with some sort of antidote for the entire thing. However, when he couldn't, we immediately went to the Professor for assistance. Of course, that stupid mutt got in the way, so we never actually got to meet the Professor or his little assistant."

"Wait, you mean _Peach?_ " I exclaimed.

"Is that his name?" Butch asked, raising an eyebrow. "If so, that's a weird name for a dog."

"He's not actually a dog, you know. He's a _robotic_ dog."

"Still a dog, nonetheless," he replied, rolling his eyes. When I narrowed my eyes at him, he merely ignored it and continued on, "Anyway, that mutt—"

" _Peach_. His name is _Peach_ ," I interrupted, glaring at Butch.

He smirked in response. "Okay, anything for you, my dear."

"Stop calling me that!"

After chuckling, he went back to smirking and stated, "Like I was saying, _Peach_ "—he immediately glanced towards my direction and smirked even more, but my response to him was a simple glare—"somehow figured out we were the Rowdyruff Boys Z. How he did that, I have no idea, but either way, he tried to help us out by giving us some Chemical Z. Neither of us knew why he wanted to help _us_ , considering of how we were evil and all, but we decided not to question what he was doing.

"Afterward, we had the Chemical Z poured onto each of us and we were able to control our human form since then." Frowning, he then added, "Unfortunately, we couldn't maintain our human form no more than five minutes, especially since during that time it depleted our energy immensely. That's why we decided to go into hiding for at least a year or two. We had to hone this new 'power' of ours, so we had no choice. It was Takeo's idea, of course." He then nodded towards Brick.

Sighing, he then added, "During that year or two, we were able to hone our so-called 'power' and realized that we were able to split our two forms, but not for long. The maximum amount of time our forms can withstand separately is one month, or rather more specifically, on the night of the full moon. That's why we _had_ to do it. Basically, we absorbed our dog forms into us once more, so our beings would fuse together again." Shrugging, he added, "You can think of it as…relighting a lantern when it's just about to go out."

"Why the full moon?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The damn monkey made us take that concoction of his during the day, but it turns out that day was actually also the night of the full moon," he replied, shrugging.

"And if you guys didn't get to absorb your dog forms?"

"Remember what I said about relighting a lantern and all?"

I nodded in response.

"You know what happens when the flame runs out and there's no more oil?"

"You can't use it anymore."

"Exactly," he stated, narrowing his eyes slightly. "So basically, if it's just one second after midnight or anything at all, and we don't fuse with our dog forms, then we basically die."

I gulped softly. I admit I was curious about how they knew about that, but I decided not to ask. It was probably best not to anyway. However, I came to a realization and stated, "Wait, but…that doesn't explain why I didn't see your brothers that day in the pound."

He grinned, raising an eyebrow. "So now you want me to explain my side of the story? You seem to be _quite_ talkative tonight, Kaoru."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Just explain, will you?"

He merely chuckled. "Alright, alright, calm down." Just as soon as he opened his mouth to explain himself, I felt a vibration in my pocket and raised my hand to stop him from talking.

Taking my cell phone out of my pocket, I flinched immediately before grimacing. "Damn it…"

"What is it, Kaoru?" Momoko asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hesitating, I replied, "It's my dad."

Momoko then blinked a couple of times before yelling, "Oh, my God, it's past midnight! I'm missing my favorite anime! And this episode is the must-see of the _century!_ " Before Momoko could continue screaming, though (which I was resisting the urge to slap my forehead with my palm, if I may add), Brick immediately picked her up bridal style. She then started screaming at him to put her down and before I knew it, he was already running off—or rather, jumping off into the air and walking on the roofs of the buildings—to Momoko's place.

"Oh, that's right, my grandmother doesn't know I'm out…" I heard Miyako mutter.

"Miyako, you _actually_ snuck out?" I exclaimed with eyes wide. "You've been hanging around me and Momoko too much!"

"Don't forget her boyfriend's a Rowdyruff," Boomer added, smiling slightly. He then whispered something in her ear that made her smile and nod in response. Before I knew it, the two of them were already walking home, hand in hand.

"You're not going to pick up?"

I flinched immediately, seeing of how Butch was suddenly behind me. "Dude, what the hell?"

He merely frowned in response before responding bluntly, "Your father."

"Hah?"

"You've kept your father waiting on your cell."

By that time, I realized that my cell phone was _still_ vibrating and I exclaimed, "OH!" Immediately, I picked up and heard my father screaming into my ear, so I had no choice but to put some distance between my ear and my cell phone. When I glanced at Butch, he was simply smirking at me, most likely in amusement, I glared at him. After my father calmed down (I honestly wasn't listening to what he was saying just now), I put my cell phone back to my ear and stated, "Dad, you need to _calm down_. I'm _fine._ "

 _"Fine?"_ I heard him yell as I winced. _"Fine? Kaoru Matsubara, it's past midnight and you're not in bed! Where in the world are you?"_

"Well…" I hesitated slightly and glanced at Butch without realizing it. Immediately, I looked away and tried to come up with an excuse. I didn't want to get Momoko and Miyako into trouble, so I merely stated, "I had to go do something, so—"

_"You're not hanging out with that boy, are you?"_

I flinched immediately. "No! I'm not!"

_"Good, because I don't approve him still!"_

"Dad, _why_ would you need to approve him?"

_"Because even though you two are going out now, that doesn't mean that I approve him!"_

"He's _not_ my boyfriend, though!" I exclaimed and before I could say anymore, my phone was snatched out of my hand. Turning around, I saw of how _Butch_ now had it against his ear and he was smirking at me.

Winking at me, he responded, "Don't worry, sir. I'll have your daughter home immediately."

My eye twitched a couple of times and I whispered angrily, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Ignoring me, he merely continued to smirk as I heard my father's yelling from the phone. "Sir, don't worry. I'm not doing anything inappropriate to her." At this, he winked at me and I glared at him in response. Smirking even more, he added, "Oh, and sir?"

At this point, I heard my father say, _"Yes?"_

"I'm not her boyfriend," he replied and immediately, I sighed in relief, thankful that he was actually agreeing with me for once. However, I saw him smirk immediately and he added, "I'm her _lover._ "

My eyes went wide at this and I felt my cheeks grow hot. Before I could respond, though, I heard my father yelling already on the phone and Butch immediately hung up on him.

After snatching my phone back, I merely glared at him and yelled, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"A lot of things," he replied, smirking. "Why? Is there a problem?"

"Of course, there is! You just basically told my dad that you're my…" My voice trailed off and I felt my cheeks get even hotter, since I couldn't bring myself to say _that_ word.

Smirking, he looked at me and leaned his face in towards mine before whispering, "But it's true, isn't it? So why deny the truth in front of your father?"

Immediately, I backed away from him, glaring at him in the process. "We're not together like that, you idiot!"

"So you agree that we're boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"We're not that either!"

"So then, what are we?"

"We're…" My voice trailed off once more, as I tried to think of an excuse. "We're neither of those things!"

"So we're friends?"

"No!"

"Enemies?"

"Yes!"

"But we haven't fought each other at all and my brothers and I aren't exactly on the side of evil now, are we?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Once an enemy, always an enemy!"

"Really?" He asked, smirking even more, as he walked closer and closer towards me.

My immediate reaction was to run away, which I was about to, until he pulled me back and pinned me against the brick wall of the alley. His lips were already brushing against mine and before I could say anything, his hands were already roaming southern. As I started to struggle, he breathed against my lips, letting me feel his hot breath as one of his hands resisted against my hip and the other arm wrapped around my waist.

Smirking, he then said, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." I frowned in response and before I could even reply, he added while smirking even more, "Or in this case, my lover."

I felt my cheeks get even hotter, especially since the hand that was resting against my hip was reaching behind and before I could even say anything, I felt him squeeze my bottom gently. My eyes went wide at this and just as I was about to yell at him, he immediately kissed me on the lips, silencing my protests.

Quickly, I pulled away and whispered angrily, "Stop this, already, you freaking idiot!"

I felt him kiss my neck gently, which made my cheeks grow even hotter, if that was possible. Whispering softly into my ear, he asked, "Why?"

"This isn't right!"

"What's not right? Showing my love?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I meant that this isn't the right time and place for things such as this!"

He blinked a couple of times at me and before I could say anything else, he was already smirking and pulled away. "I see…"

Sighing in relief, I merely patted any possible dirt or dust from the brick wall off of my clothes before glaring at him. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I couldn't resist myself. But since you admitted that you _enjoy_ what I do to you—"

"I never said that!"

"No, but you implied it," he replied, smirking. "'This isn't the time and place for things such as this!' is what you said, which means that you'd rather I not do it _now_ , but _later_."

My eye twitched slightly. "I _never_ said that, you idiot! Stop suggesting that those words came from my mouth!"

"Hey, you implied it, not me."

"I never implied it!"

"Well, either way, we're continuing tonight, so—"

"We are _not_ continuing tonight, jackass!"

He smirked even more. "Oh? So you'd rather we resume right here and now?"

"Hell no!"

"Then later on tonight, it is!"

I merely narrowed my eyes at him before asking, "Wait, how do you even get in my room anyway?"

This time, he grinned at me. "Well, since you know the connection between me and Takeshi, I may as well tell you. Since I'm Takeshi and he's me, well…"

I blinked a couple of times. "Wait, so…" My eyes went wide. "You've been in my house this _entire freaking time!_ "

He winked at me, smirking. "Exactly, my dear. And there were times of when you locked your door, too, so I just simply used a paper clip to get into your room."

I narrowed my eyes at him and just as I was about to punch him, he grabbed my fist and somehow managed to open my palm while pulling me closer. He merely grinned at me in response as I continued to glare at him and before I could say anything, he immediately kissed my forehead.

My eyes went wide and immediately, I backed away. "What the hell?"

He chuckled in response. "Shall we go home now?"

I glared at him. "What makes you think I'll let you walk me home?"

"Dear, my home is your home, remember?" He stated, grinning as he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Stop calling me that!"

"I don't think I will, my dear."

I merely groaned in response as I started walking away. He, of course, followed while grinning still. Rolling my eyes at his grin, I merely grumbled angrily, and unfortunately for me, I didn't _just_ walk home with him. Despite my protests, we ended up having our hands joined together throughout our entire walk home.


	17. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Sorry for taking such a long time to update, guys! I've been dealing with a bunch of things lately, so I haven't been exactly in a fanfiction-writing mood lately :/. Well, actually, it's been ruining my fanfiction-writing mood - period.
> 
> Kaoru: I'm just gonna say this: THAT'S A GOOD THING.
> 
> Me: -ignores Kaoru- However, I did make this chapter a little longer than usual, so hopefully, this will make you guys happy x'D.
> 
> Kaoru: ...DAMN YOU, DEJIKO!
> 
> Me: -continues to ignore Kaoru- Oh, and originally, I wanted to update "European History" before updating this, but because things got in the way, my notebook ended up being...somewhere in this pile of stuff in my room. (Don't ask :'D.) So, until I find my notebook, I'll pretty much be focusing on this fanfic only...and I might end up updating "Angels & Devils" this month instead. I'm not entirely sure yet; I have to edit my updating schedule again :/.
> 
> Kaoru: DEJIKO, WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE -
> 
> Butch: Ka-o-ru-cha-n~!
> 
> Kaoru: ...GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!
> 
> \- insert the room getting completely destroyed by the two of them -
> 
> Me: This is starting to become a regular basis for those two xD. Anyway, just enjoy the chapter, folks c:

Ah, yes… The sound of the stupid door bell freaking ringing over and _over!_ Seriously? Ringing it two or three times is understandable, but ringing it that many times? That's just ridiculous!

"Kaoru!"

"Yeah, Mom?"

"Get the door for me!"

I sighed bitterly as I got up from my bed, frowning. A week had already passed since that incident, which means that school's over and summer's already started. When I returned home, well, I was in a heap of trouble, and the fact that Butch kept on holding onto my hand didn't help _at all_. Oh, yes, and the fact that he said that he was my… _that word_ to my father merely added fuel to the fire. Thus, I ended up getting grounded for _at least_ a _month_ and I can't have any contact with Butch whatsoever at all.

 _Oh, if only they knew_ , I thought bitterly. The fact that Butch was my dog (er, half dog? I have no freaking idea anymore) and that he was practically in my house throughout the entire time… Well, let's just say of how there were very awkward situations of when my father barged into the room and I had to explain that it was all just a "nightmare." The only bright side to this was that I could still have contact with Momoko and Miyako.

Just then, I heard the door bell ring again, causing me to groan.

"Kaoru!"

"Okay, Mom, calm down! I'll go get it!" Sighing, I muttered, "Jeez…" Quickly, I ran down the stairs and opened the door, frowning immediately at the two people standing before me. "Oh, it's just you two."

"Kaoru, that's just mean!" Momoko stated, frowning as she crossed her arms.

I merely eyed her clothing while she said that, though. Red skirt, pink tank top, sandals… I then eyed Miyako's clothing, only to find that she wore a skirt also, but this one had more frills and it was blue, along with a light blue camisole, a white denim jacket, and a pair of flip-flops.

"Kaoru-san, are you still grounded?" Miyako asked, tilting her head slightly.

I nodded in reply. "Where are you two going?"

"The beach, of course!"

"I thought you guys said it was on Saturday."

Momoko shrugged. "We decided to have it moved up, especially since today's a pretty nice day. Besides, the weather forecast said of how it might rain on Saturday."

"Do you think you could ask your parents if you could come?" Miyako then asked.

"They'll decline. I'm _grounded_ , remember?"

"Well, if you ask nicely, maybe they'll allow you…"

"Miyako, I _really_ doubt that they'd let me."

Momoko merely scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Have you even _tried_ asking yet?"

I narrowed my eyes. "How many times do I have to say that—"

"We know that you're grounded, but we just want you to ask them anyway. You'll never know until you try it."

I merely glanced back and forth between the two. Apparently, they wanted me to go on this trip to the beach very badly… Oh, that's right, the RowdyRuff Boys Z will be there. Sighing, I then said, "Forget it. _They'll_ be there, so there's no way in hell that I'm going."

Just as I was about to slam the door in their faces, Miyako then managed to block the door by using her foot. Before I knew it, I sensed _that_ aura around her as she was smiling at me.

All I could do to react to this was a soft gulp and had one thought in my mind only: _Oh, God._

* * *

"For the record, I'm not doing anything when we meet up with those guys," I hissed softly to the two of them. Momoko, Miyako and I were already at the beach, walking on the sand as we were trying to find the boys. Well, actually, the three of us got weird stares from people because of the fact that I was _literally_ being dragged by Momoko and Miyako. I'm not surprised by Miyako, considering of how she had _that_ aura around her. To boot, I'm still shocked at the fact that my mother even _agreed_ to letting me come to the beach despite the fact that I was _grounded_. (Then again, knowing her, she most likely already approved Butch…)

"Kaoru, the point of summer is to go to the beach," I heard Momoko reply.

"And the point of summer is also to spend time with other people," I then heard Miyako add.

I merely scoffed softly under my breath, resisting the urge to snap at the two. I mean, these two going on a beach trip with their boyfriends is pretty understandable, but for me to come along and hang out with Butch of all people when the two of us aren't even dating? I think not. He and I aren't even dating, for crying out loud. I mean, technically, I only went out on a date with the boy just to get information about Takeshi and look what I ended up finding out instead.

Having that clear memory of what happened nights before merely made me growl softly under my breath and before I knew it, my head made contact with the soft sand. Momoko and Miyako merely smiled down at me, so I knew that obviously we were here, which made me roll my eyes in response. Reluctantly, I stood up, brushing the sand off of my shorts and t-shirt.

I pretty much refused wearing a swimsuit of any kind while the boys were around, honestly, and since Momoko said (well, more like yelled and went off into a rant of some sort) I shouldn't wear a one-piece, I figured I may as well just not swim. On the other hand, compared to my shorts and t-shirt, Momoko and Miyako were pretty much wearing the swimsuits they bought last week. Glancing around, I could already tell that the two were attracting attention—Miyako, especially, but the minute that Boomer came over and intertwined his fingers into hers, I saw of how all of the guys pretty much backed off.

 _Smart boys_ , I thought, scoffing softly. The fact that Boomer was a Rowdyruff himself pretty much proved that they wouldn't stand a chance against him if they ended up literally fighting over Miyako, and we all know who the victor would be. Besides, even if they managed to beat the blue Rowdyruff, which I _doubt_ they could, they'd still have to go through me. When I glanced at Miyako, I already found that she and Boomer were already walking off with their hands together, chatting away on…whatever it was they were talking about, really. I then glanced at Momoko, only to find that she was now wearing Brick's hat and giggling as Brick had his arms around her waist while grinning at her.

I merely blinked a couple of times. "Okay, if those two are here, then where's—"

"Miss me, babe?"

I flinched immediately, hearing that voice. Not because it scared me, but because of the fact that I heard it directly near my ear. Turning around, I found the culprit and merely glared at him, deciding not to respond to him as I crossed my arms.

"Come on, you don't have to be so cold with me," Butch replied, feigning a look of hurt on his face as he held his arms out while taking a couple of steps closer.

It was then that I realized that he was shirtless and was only wearing a pair of dark green swimming trunks, so unfortunately, I felt my face heat up, considering of how I saw of how ripped he was (not that I'd ever admit it to him), and immediately backed away, glaring at him in the process.

"Now, now, Kaoru, you don't have to be so cold," he stated, smirking even more at me as he started walking even closer. When I took a step back, he merely stepped towards me even more before whispering softly, "Just admit you want me already."

My eyes went wide as I continued to back away. "Get the hell away from me!" Immediately, I started running away, but unfortunately, I felt myself being pulled back slightly. Frowning, I turned my head around, glaring at Butch. "Let go of me, Takeshi, if you know what's good for you."

Butch continued to smirk in response. Lowering his voice as he leaned in slightly towards my face, he stated, "We both know who's stronger here, Kaoru, so I suggest that—"

"Takeshi-kuuuuuuun~!"

Before I knew it, I felt myself getting pulled away from Butch and actually colliding with the sand. I honestly didn't mind, so when I glanced up, I merely grinned, seeing of how Butch was completely surrounded by girls. Though most of them were asking him to go hang out with one of the them for the day, some of them even went to the extent of asking him to rub sunscreen onto them. My eye merely twitched at hearing that (why females even stoop that low to the point of desperation, I don't even know), so I stomped off towards a nearby shack that was actually serving some refreshments and food.

Entering the place, I found of how there were mainly guys sitting at the tables. I couldn't help but groan softly at this and reluctantly made my way up to the counter. There stood a girl around my age wearing an apron, but with a swimsuit on as well. She had her platinum blonde hair tied up in a pony tail and merely stared at me in a bored expression. Glancing around, I pretty much saw of how the place was filled with waitresses that were wearing the same outfit as the counter girl, so I figured it was their uniform, which also explained why there were so many guys here.

 _Note to self: Never_ ever _work at a shack such as this place_ , I thought, frowning slightly at their uniforms. I know this is a beach shack or store and that this is just some sort of attraction to get customers, but hell, I'd never stoop this low!

The girl merely snapped her fingers at me, breaking me out of my train of thought so I quickly turned my head back at her, blinking a couple of times. "Uh, yeah?"

"You gonna order or not?" The girl asked, raising an eyebrow, having an annoyed expression on her face. "Or are you just gonna stand there and ogle all of the girls here?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. _Don't snap at her, Kaoru. Don't snap at her…_

"Well? I've been dealing with jackasses like you all day, so if you're not gonna order—"

"Just a bottle of water is good enough for me," I interrupted, rolling my eyes. Well, I guess that explains her bad mood. The fact that she recognizes me as a dude wasn't even surprising, so I decided not to retort that I was female.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Anything else?"

"Nah, that's it, really."

She then handed me a bottle of water and I paid her before leaving the shack, making a mental note to myself not to go back there. Looking around, I saw of how there wasn't much to do for me. Sure, there were people playing volleyball, but the fact that there were lots of females on the sidelines and a pretty boy over there playing _definitely_ made me not want to play.

Frowning, I merely started drinking from my water bottle, rolling my eyes once I heard that oh so familiar voice. Turning my head to face him, I merely glared at him before asking, "What the hell do you want?"

"That's pretty rude of you to refer to your boyfriend that way, Kaoru," Butch replied, chuckling slightly.

"You're _not_ my boyfriend, damn it!" I yelled before glancing behind him and seeing of how there were lots of girls. My eye merely twitched slightly and I whispered softly to him, "You're just here to bother me so you can get rid of them, aren't you?"

"Well, I had to look for you and in doing so, I've attracted lots of girls," he whispered in response, smirking slightly. "I mean, how else do you think they'd react to someone as sexy as me?"

Before he could say anything else, I merely smiled at him, which caught him off guard. He looked really surprised and before anything else could be said, I immediately took that chance to pour all of the water in my water bottle onto him.

He blinked a couple of times, spitting out some of the water while narrowing his eyes at me slightly. It honestly didn't hide his amusement. I could obviously see it in his eyes, and it was practically given away by that grin of his. Before he could even respond, though, the girls behind him began squealing and quickly fainted onto the sand.

I glanced behind him and then stated while shrugging, "There. Problem solved. Now you owe me a bottle of water."

Grinning, he replied, "Oh, and what about you? Why haven't you fainted just like them?"

"Because I'm not a stupid fan girl."

He then started smirking at me. "That doesn't explain why you're blushing."

My eyes went wide and both of my hands went to my cheeks, feeling if they're hot. Wait, they don't feel that hot! No, no, wait… He's just messing with my head, isn't he? Of course, the minute I started glaring at him was the minute he leaned in slightly, cupping my face by having his hands on top of mine.

Grinning at me, he stated, "Nice day out, isn't it?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What the hell do you want?"

"For you to refer to me as your boyfriend."

"Hell no!"

"Okay, your lover, then."

"What the hell?"

Grinning still, he whispered, "I'd honesty prefer the latter, but either is pretty much fine with me."

Shaking my head so he'd let go of my face, I glared at him. "You're neither of those, damn it!"

"Well, I'm one of them, Kaoru, whether you like it or not," he stated, grinning at me.

Before I could even respond, he was already leaning his face in and for some reason, I stood completely still. I didn't know why, but I stood completely still and just as his lips were about to collide with mine, I heard a fight of some sort nearby starting, seeing of how there was already a crowd of people nearby. Quickly, I pushed Butch away and ran off towards the crowd, trying to see what was going on. Reaching the center, I saw of how there was a guy wincing in pain on the sand…along with Boomer, who was standing before him while having a blank expression on his face.

It was obvious what happened, so I merely gulped softly as the crowd dispersed, seeing of how the "excitement was already over," which was actually what one of them said.

Butch ran over and merely whistled, raising an eyebrow at the guy in pain. Bending down, he asked, "You made a move on my brother's girl, didn't you?"

The guy in pain merely grunted in response.

Standing back up, Butch merely scoffed softly. "Serves you right."

Before I knew it, Boomer was already walking off to Miyako, who was chatting away with Momoko while having a magazine in both of their hands. Apparently, Miyako didn't even know this had just happened…

 _It's probably best if she didn't know_ , I thought silently while frowning. _If she knew about it in the first place, she would've stopped him a long time ago._

I glanced down at the guy in pain, who was starting to get up, but immediately, I stomped onto him with one of my feet. Seeing of how he glared at me, I glared at him back and he flinched in response, making me smirk slightly. Before I could even respond back, though, Butch had already pulled me away and carried me over his shoulder to our freaking spot on the beach. (Of course, I was yelling at him throughout the entire way to put me down.)

When he finally did, I found myself sitting under a huge white umbrella, along with being on top of a large dark green towel. Glancing at Butch, I saw of how he simply lied down next to me and narrowed my eyes at him.

"Something wrong, my dear?" He asked, grinning.

"You _really_ need to stop calling me that," I replied, narrowing my eyes at him.

"That's something I'll never stop doing," he replied back and before I could respond, he pulled me down with him, so I ended up laying on top of him. Wrapping his arm around me tightly, he whispered, "I really wish you'd stop being in denial about what's going on between the two of us."

"And I really wish for you to stop doing these things to me!" I hissed back, glaring at him despite feeling a hot sensation on my cheeks. I was honestly hoping that my anger was hiding my blush.

He chuckled. "Yeah, I don't think you really wish for that."

I merely frowned in response.

I felt him stroke my cheek slightly, which made me narrow my eyes at him. He immediately sat up and pulled me even closer to the point of where I couldn't really do anything to him. His head was on top of mine. I knew that much, aside from the fact that I was against his chest and all. The hot sensation on my cheeks grew even hotter, if that was even possible and I was inwardly hoping that he wouldn't see.

All of a sudden, I felt his lips brush against my cheek, which made me back my head away slightly. He chuckled in response, which made me glare at him even more. Unfortunately, I felt a hot sensation on my cheeks still, causing me to frown as I rolled my eyes in response towards him.

"Alright, now tell me why we're here," I stated, sighing in frustration.

He shrugged slightly. "Figured we could talk."

I raised an eyebrow. "Talk? _Just_ talk?"

He nodded.

There was a slight pause before I asked, "You're serious, right? We're only here so we can _just talk?_ You're not going to start doing anything perverted to me?"

"As much as I'd like to shower you with affection, I don't like the fact that some other guy gets to see your face while I'm doing such things to you," he replied, smirking slightly.

"What the hell does _that_ mean?"

He raised an eyebrow at me in amusement while smirking still. "You _do_ realize that whenever I show my affection for you—"

"Being perverted does _not_ count as being affectionate, jackass," I retorted, narrowing my eyes at him.

Butch leaned in slightly, his lips mere inches from mine. Lowering his voice, he stated, "It does, actually." Smirking, he then added while stroking my cheek, "The fact that you have on such a cute blushing face right now proves my point."

I merely glared at him as I slapped his hand away. "I'm _not_ cute!"

"And the fact that you're in denial about it right now makes you even cuter," he stated before chuckling.

Glaring at him even more, I merely scoffed, deciding to change the subject. "Never mind. Can we just get back to the main subject here?"

"About talking?"

I nodded in response. "Why would you wanna talk now of all times? It doesn't make any sense, considering this is _you_ we're talking about here." At this, I raised an eyebrow at him.

He sighed in response, actually letting me go.

Normally, I would run away, but I have to admit: I was curious, so I figured that I may as well just listen. Thus, I just sat down right next to him with legs crossed. Glancing at him, he glanced back, which made me raise an eyebrow at him in response.

He merely grinned slightly before sighing again. "Well, I would've told you this many nights before, but considering of how you'd always end up screaming and waking up your parents—"

"That's partially your fault, jackass," I interrupted, glaring at him before rolling my eyes and looking at the sea. "What kind of a girl _wouldn't_ scream at the fact that there's a boy sexually harassing her in her v _ery own room_ and on her _very own bed?_ "

"Any one of those girls from earlier, obviously," I heard him reply dryly.

I merely scoffed at him. "You don't sound too happy about it."

"You jealous, Kaoru?"

I glanced over at him to find him grinning at me, so I rolled my eyes and decided to ignore his question. "Look, can we back to the main subject here again?"

"Alright, but are you willing to listen?"

My response to that was a simple glare directed at him.

He grinned. "Alright, then. Remember when I said that my brothers and I were gone for a year or so?" When I nodded in response, he continued, "Yeah, well, during that time, the three of us lived as dogs on the streets. Every day, we would practice on trying to maintain our human form for as long as we could. One day, though…" His voice trailed off as he began to grimace before sighing. "Since my brothers and I were considered strays and we had to live by stealing food, we weren't exactly…loved by store owners, if you get what I mean."

I merely blinked a couple of times at this, despite the fact that I knew the reason. "So…what then? You got caught?"

"Pretty much," he replied, shrugging. "Takumi almost got caught, so I had to step in and free him. Unfortunately, I got caught as a result and I was pretty much nasty to anyone that went by my cage at the pound. However, when I saw your younger brother come through the door, I figured he'd be one of those brats, but when I saw you come in…" His voice trailed off slightly as he stared at me for a while.

Honestly, it made me uncomfortable, so I started backing away slightly, but he pulled me back to my dismay. I saw of how one of his arms wrap around my waist tightly and when I turned my head to face him, I felt my breath hitch slightly. His face was so close to mine that he would've easily kissed me if I made a slight movement. Unfortunately for me, he leaned in some more and I could tell that his lips were hovering over mine. To boot, I couldn't tear my eyes away from his dark green ones. In fact, part of me could tell that he was smirking slightly, despite the fact that I felt my cheeks grow hot again for the umpteenth time today.

"As corny and cliché this sounds, I felt a strange connection towards you," he whispered huskily, and unfortunately for me, I felt his hot breath against my lips. "I felt as though I met you before, which confused me greatly because I knew that I've never seen you in my life until that moment. So, for once, I decided to be on good behavior and made sure that your younger brother chose me." His lips brushed against mine slightly, which made me flinch in response. Chuckling, he added, "In the end, he did, and I ended up finding out that the girl of my dreams was you."

I merely glared at him and just as I was about to retort, I felt that his lips were pressed fully against mine. My eyes went wide slightly and I felt my cheeks grow even hotter. As much as I wanted to push him away, I couldn't, since they'd always end up in failure anyway, and so, I decided to shut my eyes and let myself get kissed senseless by this freaking jackass.

Eventually, I heard someone clearing their throats, so I quickly pulled away. I saw of how Butch was frowning and when I turned my head, I found that Brick, Momoko, Boomer, and Miyako were standing there. Brick was raising an eyebrow at us, but it didn't hide the fact that he and Momoko were grinning at us. On the other hand, Miyako was covering her mouth with her hand, but I could easily tell that she was smiling. Boomer didn't even bother to hide his smile.

I felt my cheeks grow even hotter if that was even possible, so I did the most logical thing I could think of at the moment: Push Butch away, which actually ended up in succession for once. Flustered, I yelled, "It's not what you think!"

I heard Butch grunt and I glanced back to see that he apparently fell back onto the sand. He was frowning and muttered something under his breath, but I decided to ignore his presence for now.

"And you said there was nothing going on between the two of you," Momoko practically sang, grinning even more.

"Because there isn't!" I yelled, feeling my cheeks grow hotter by the second.

"Looks like Kaoru-san is still in denial, Momoko-san," Miyako stated, removing her hand to reveal her smile.

"Oh, come on, Miyako! Not you too!"

Momoko and Miyako simply giggled in response as I groaned.

"You girls want some ice cream?" Brick then asked, grinning.

"Chocolate for me!" Momoko chirped happily.

Boomer then turned his head towards Miyako, smiling. "And you, Miyako?"

"Vanilla is fine with me," Miyako replied, smiling as well.

"And you, my dear?" I heard a familiar voice say.

Frowning, I turned my head around to face Butch, who was already standing up. "This is your fault! And stop calling me that!"

He merely grinned in response before replying, "I'm pretty sure that there's not a flavor called like that."

"No, but there is such thing as a knuckle sandwich," I replied back, narrowing my eyes.

Chuckling, he stated, "I guess a bottle of water is just fine with you?"

Growling, I yelled, "Just get the hell out of my sight already!"

Butch merely chuckled some more before walking off with his other brothers towards that shack I headed to earlier.

Sighing, I grumbled softly, "Jackass." I realized then that Momoko and Miyako were now sitting down at their boyfriend's respective towels—Momoko on Brick's large red towel and Miyako on Boomer's large blue towel. When I saw of how they were smiling at me, I merely narrowed my eyes at them and gave them a look that basically said: "Don't you _dare_."

Momoko raised her hands up in surrender, but it didn't stop her from smiling. Miyako, on the other hand, simply giggled. At their reactions, I couldn't help but sigh as I hung my head low.

Frowning, I simply thought, _Just what the hell did I do to deserve this?_


	18. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Hey, everyone, I finally got to update! YAY 8D! Sorry for taking so long, by the way. I'm still trying to figure out my updating schedule. Seems like I might have to cram everything next month to get at least another fanfic done or something... Hopefully, I'll be able to get into an updating spree.
> 
> Kaoru: It's times like these of where I REALLY WISH YOU WEREN'T SUCH A FANGIRL.
> 
> Me: BUTCHxKAORU/BUTTERCUP IS MY OTP. YOU CAN'T MAKE ME NOT LIKE IT =w=!
> 
> Kaoru: YES, I CAN - BUTCH, GET OFF OF ME!
> 
> Butch: BUT -
> 
> Kaoru: IF YOU'RE GONNA MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL, OPEN THE DAMN DOOR FOR ME!
> 
> Butch: Can't do that, babe~. If I did that, then I wouldn't get to have alone time with you, would I?
> 
> Kaoru: ...So basically, you're saying you know a way out of here.
> 
> Butch: Of course~!
> 
> Kaoru: THEN TELL ME, DAMMIT!
> 
> Butch: But then there'd be no more "us" :c
> 
> Kaoru: I DON'T CARE. I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE TO KILL DEJIKO =A=!
> 
> Butch: And I'm telling you that there wouldn't be "us," so this is for your own good~.
> 
> Kaoru: ...BUTCH!
> 
> \- insert furniture getting destroyed again...or rather, what's left of the used-to-be-furniture anyway -
> 
> Me: Anyway, enjoy the chapter! c:

"Why can't you just _leave me alone?_ "

"You know very well that I can't. After all, it's not every day that a man gets to spend time every single day with his girl in bed."

I glared at him and whispered angrily, "Get the hell out!"

He shook his head, grinning.

Narrowing my eyes, I started to try to push him off of me, but it was in vain. The beach "date" I was forced to go to was already over. By the time I had gotten home, I was expecting myself to get into trouble, which I nearly did. My father quickly began interrogating me about where I was and since I couldn't think of what to say, I merely stayed silent. Thankfully, my mother came to the rescue and said of how she allowed me to hang out with Momoko and Miyako for a day, which my father bought. After all, it was technically true.

Unfortunately, I spent most of—well, no, scratch that. I spent the _entire_ time there with Butch. The only time of when I got to hang out with Momoko and Miyako was during when we were all sitting under the umbrella. They merely teased me, but I kept on shutting them up by glaring at them. I ended up being dragged onto another date with him and to make sure I couldn't escape, he held onto my hand nearly the entire time. Wonderful, isn't it?

And now, I even have to deal with this idiot at home. I repeat: Wonderful, isn't it? (Take note of my sarcasm there…)

"Get the hell out!" I whispered angrily once more as I continued to try to push him off of me. When I finally accepted that my efforts were in vain, I decided to try kicking him off of the bed, but I realized then that I couldn't move my legs at all. Glaring at him, I realized that he was smirking in triumph. "Go back to Sho's room already, will you?"

"Not until I get my midnight kiss," he replied, leaning forward.

I turned my head away, so I'd face the wall and not him. Rolling my eyes, I stated, "This is getting _really_ old."

"Like I said: It's not every day that a man gets to spend time every single day with his girl in bed."

I merely turned my head back towards him, but he was still smirking at me, causing me to raise an eyebrow at him. "Why do you even bother doing these kinds of things?"

"Oh, I think you know very well why, Kaoru," he replied, leaning in even more. By this time, his forehead was already resting against mine. Normally, I'd turn my head away and still continue to resist, but for some strange reason, he appeared…very differently than usual. His eyes appeared much darker lately. They've been dark green until now. In fact, they seemed so dark that they looked completely pitch black. Hell, even his spiked up hair seemed even spikier than usual, if that was even possible, and don't even get me started on his skin. All in all, he looked different than usual—very different than how he looked earlier today, and as much as I hated to admit it, it was honestly starting to scare me.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Okay, then. I have my answer; you have yours. Now get the hell out already."

"Not until I get my goodnight kiss, Kaoru," he whispered softly.

I narrowed my eyes. "I _will_ scream."

"And I _will_ force myself on you, if I have to," he retorted, but he then grinned while adding, "Which I honestly don't mind."

"Why bother? I can easily keep you here long enough so my parents would find you."

"And keep in mind that I can easily turn into your dog, remember?" he stated, raising an eyebrow as if daring me to continue. Before I could respond, he stated, "Face it, Kaoru. Either you give me a goodnight kiss, or you end up screaming because of a so-called nightmare."

"I think I'd rather do the latter."

"Oh, really? I overheard your parents possibly thinking of getting you a therapist…"

I narrowed my eyes at him in response, hesitating slightly. In all honesty, I didn't want to kiss him. It felt…weird for me. And for some reason, I could suddenly hear my heartbeat pounding loudly. The fact that I felt a burning sensation on my cheeks wasn't really helping with my situation, either.

"Well?" I heard him ask before feeling his lips brush against mine.

I flinched slightly in response, but made no reply.

He smirked even more and whispered against my lips, "I'll let your hands go…but only if you return the kiss."

My eyes widened and just as I was about to retort, I tried to close my mouth immediately, but unfortunately, he had already quickly kissed me before I could. I felt his hands let go of mine as they both traveled southern slowly, but before they could continue, I took this as a chance to push him away. Luckily, it succeeded.

I sat up to find that he was still on the bed, but he was on his knees, looking down at me. His face had such a serious expression, I couldn't help but gulp slightly. Nonetheless, I shook my head and glared at him with all of my might before stating angrily, "Get the hell out of my room."

Instead of doing as I said, he merely came in closer and just as I tried to attack him, he merely grabbed a hold of both of my wrists. Once again, I looked up to find those dark eyes that seemed entirely pitch black. In all honesty, I was starting to feel scared, but even so, I merely continued to glare at him until he started leaning in towards my face. By then, I knew that my glare was starting to falter until I was left feeling that burning sensation on my cheeks only, so I merely looked down.

"See? You're not really angry at what I do, after all," I heard him whisper before feeling his lips brush against my cheek as one of his hands went to my other cheek.

"Yes, I am," I whispered angrily. "Now get the hell out of my room."

He merely chuckled as I continued to look down, making no response.

I honestly didn't want to show him my face, so I stayed silent. Never before had I felt so _humiliated_ , and at the hands of a _Rowdyruff_ , if I may add.

Before I knew it, I felt both of his hands cup my cheeks and I was pulled into a gentle kiss. Pulling me closer, he then wrapped both arms around my waist. I merely squeezed my eyes shut, letting him kiss me senseless for the second time today as my hands slowly clenched into fists, grabbing a fist load of his shirt. Unconsciously, I felt myself returning the kiss, realizing then that my eyes were no longer squeezed shut, but were instead simply closed.

Eventually, I felt him pull away and I opened my eyes to find him having those dark green eyes once again. I felt myself blush even more and he merely kissed my forehead gently in response, so I glanced down, hearing my heart pound louder than ever.

"Thanks for the goodnight kiss, my dear," I heard him whisper. Looking back up at him was a mistake, since he quickly gave me a peck on the lips before winking. "Sweet dreams."

I glared at him, feeling my cheeks still hot as ever and just as I was about to yell at him, he was already on his way out of my room. My eye twitched slightly and I merely fell back onto my pillow, curling up into a ball in order to forget about what had just happened.

* * *

_Oh God, please tell me that this is some sort of nightmare._

"Kaoru, I'm so happy for the two of you!"

"Now we can go out on triple dates!"

_Yup, definitely not a nightmare. God damn it all!_

I resisted the urge to slap my forehead with the palm of my hand as I continued to hear them chatter endlessly about dates and whatnot. It was already the next day and apparently, Butch had gotten my father's approval somehow (I saw my father and Dai sulking in a corner this morning, which I found completely weird). Since I had no say in the matter, that meant I was stuck with the boy for a _very_ long time. These two heard from my mother somehow about this, so they decided for us to just hang out together for the day. And now, here we are at a café, eating our lunch and all.

At this, I couldn't help but sigh bitterly. I was already trying to forget about what happened last night, and now I have to deal with _this._ Honestly, I blame everything on _him_ for being such a stupid, perverted jackass. I merely continued to silently curse Butch in my head, trying to block out Momoko and Miyako's chatter about where we'd be going for a triple date.

 _Why me?_ I thought bitterly. _Out of all of the girls he could've chased after, he went after me—all because I'm Buttercup._ At this, I merely frowned even more. _Of course. Who am I fooling? He's only interested in me because I'm Buttercup._ I scoffed before grumbling angrily under my breath. At this time, I realized that Momoko and Miyako were no longer chatting, so I looked up, only to find that the two were looking at me, both raising an eyebrow.

"Kaoru-san, are you alright?" Miyako asked, having a concerned expression on her face.

"If you don't want to go on a triple date, that's fine," Momoko added, pouting slightly. "You could've just said so, you know."

I merely shook my head. "No, it's not that."

"Oh, so then we can go on a triple date together?"

"Of _course_ not!"

"Why not?"

Miyako nodded. "He's your boyfriend, after all, Kaoru-san."

I merely narrowed my eyes at the two. "You two don't get it, do you?"

They merely blinked a couple of times before looking at each other and then back at me, having a puzzled expression on their faces.

Sighing, I stated calmly, "They know we're _them_ , don't they?"

They nodded in response simultaneously.

Scoffing, I then stated, "Exactly, so have you ever thought that maybe that they only care about us _because_ of that?"

"Kaoru-san, they figured us out after we met them, though," Miyako replied, frowning slightly. "I really doubt Takumi would do such a thing."

"Same with Takeo," Momoko added, nodding to herself. "Even if he used to be a brat, he's matured a lot. We should at least give them a chance, you know."

I merely narrowed my eyes before scoffing once more.

"Besides, you fell for Takeshi, didn't you?"

My eyes went wide and I immediately glared at the two, feeling my cheeks burn up. "No, I did not!"

Miyako giggled. "Kaoru-san, you're blushing."

Momoko then giggled. "I'm gonna guess that maybe the two did something scandalous last night."

I felt my cheeks grow even more hot at that, but I made no response.

Momoko's eyes went wide in disbelief but she then exclaimed, "Oh, my God, tell us everything!"

"It's none of your damn business!"

"Kaoru-san, we have the right to know!" Miyako then exclaimed.

My eye twitched, seeing of how they were smiling as ever. "It's none of your business, though!"

"Did you two kiss?" Momoko asked, completely ignoring what I said.

"Have you two held hands yet?" I heard Miyako ask as I laid my head against the table.

I continued to let them ask me questions and I groaned, trying to block them out completely. Of course, I knew that I could never be able to escape them, no matter what. In all honesty, I just wanted this day to end already, or for me to have some sort of excuse to leave.

Placing my head back up, I stated, "Guys, _calm down_. It's just…" I merely shrugged as my voice trailed off.

"Well?" Momoko asked, raising an eyebrow.

I shrugged. "Eh…"

"That's not an answer, Kaoru-san," Miyako stated, blinking a couple of times.

"Uh, well, we've done…a lot of things," I replied slowly.

They both raised an eyebrow at me, waiting for me to continue.

Sighing, I whispered to them so only they'd hear, "What do you get when you have a bed, yourself, and a perverted jackass?"

Momoko blinked a couple of times before breaking out into a total grin. Miyako, on the other hand, was blushing completely, but she was smiling nonetheless.

"So, you didn't lose—"

"Momoko-san!"

Momoko raised her hands in defense. "I'm just kidding, Miyako! Kaoru's not the type to do something like that!"

"Damn right, I'm not!" I yelled, narrowing my eyes at them. Momoko merely continued to grin at me, so I glared at her to get her to shut up. She then smiled in response, deciding to drop the subject for now. Thank God for that, if I may add.

"You know, I can't help but wonder where Takumi is," Miyako stated, blinking a couple of times.

"Same here with Takeo," Momoko stated, sighing.

Scoffing, I rolled my eyes. "I couldn't care less." When I received a glare from Momoko and a look from Miyako, I sighed and stated, "Well, I haven't seen him the entire day today, and I'm perfectly fine with that."

"I guess that means that the boys are hanging out with each other somewhere," Miyako stated, pondering as she tilted her head slightly.

"And you'd think they'd tell us first before running off and all," Momoko stated, rolling her eyes as Miyako then nodded in agreement.

I merely sighed, leaning back against the seat. Although, I do have to admit that it was a bit weird for the boys to suddenly not say anything to us. It was a bit…suspicious, actually, but I've decided to shrug it off, knowing fully well that they probably were indeed hanging out together.

Sighing, I looked out the window as Momoko and Miyako then started chatting about who knows what, letting myself to sort my thoughts out. One haunting thought kept on repeating in my mind, though, so I merely frowned. _Just why do I keep on getting this feeling that something's bad gonna happen?_


	19. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: You know, the more I work on this fanfic, the closer I work towards its ending...
> 
> \- silence -
> 
> Me: ...Well, this is just plain...awkward o-o.
> 
> Kaoru: DEJIKO, WHAT THE HELL -
> 
> Butch: Ignore Kaoru-chan. She saw the ending of the chapter~.
> 
> Kaoru: SHUT UP, BUTCH! =A=
> 
> Butch: Oh, c'mon, admit that you enjoyed that part~!
> 
> Kaoru: I CAN'T ADMIT TO SOMETHING THAT I DIDN'T LIKE AT ALL!
> 
> Me: -ignores the two of them- Well, since this is the last month for summer vacation for me, I may as well get straight to the point: I'm gonna be cramming all of my updates during this month, so watch out for your inbox... You might end up getting spammed :'D. I really want most of my current fanfics done and over with because I have a bunch of other ideas just floating around in my head...but I can't do anything about them yet, which is sad QAQ. I don't really have an updating schedule, except for maybe Secretive Curse... That one I might end up updating weekly and the rest of my fanfics I'll have to cram into this month XD. Well, wish me luck on updating all of them and finishing most of my fanfics this summer!
> 
> Butch: It's okay to be in denial, Kaoru c: I know you love me~.
> 
> Kaoru: =_= NO, I DO NOT!
> 
> Butch: Yup, total denial 8D.
> 
> Kaoru: -bangs head into wall- GOD DAMN IT, DEJIKO. LET ME OUT OF HERE ALREADY!
> 
> Me: Nooooo, not until the epilogue.
> 
> Kaoru: WHICH IS WHEN?!
> 
> Me: ...Not saying c:
> 
> Kaoru: =_= WHY I OUGHTA -
> 
> Me: Moving on, enjoy the chapter, folks 8D!

It was already the next day and once again, the boys were nowhere to be found. In all honesty, I didn't really mind the fact that they were gone. Momoko and Miyako, on the other hand, didn't seem quite happy about it like I was. Now, I'm not saying that these two went into a state of depression or anything, but I could tell that they were a bit down at the fact that the boys were gone once again _without saying anything_. It's only been a day, but I already feel suspicious on what the boys were planning to do.

Right now, Momoko, Miyako, and I were hanging out together again, but this time it was at the mall. Miyako dragged me to one of her favorite fashion stores and here she was, looking for other outfits to wear and all. Momoko was shopping for outfits too, so the two just shopped together, occasionally giving each other their opinions on the other person's outfits they chose.

As for me, well, I've decided to just let them do the shopping. My mother decided to call off me being grounded, despite my father's protests. (Actually, she pretty much silenced them with a glare and by pulling his ear.) In all honesty, I was thinking of going skateboarding, since it _has_ been a long while that I've even went skateboarding, but I've decided to just give into hanging out with these two again. They were my best friends, so I couldn't really say much about it. Plus, in my mind, I figured that the boys being gone would've affected them somehow, so I figured I could always skateboard for tomorrow.

"Kaoru!"

I turned my head away from a rack of clothing to face Momoko, who was holding up two outfits, and raised an eyebrow at the girl. "What?"

"Which do you think would look better on you?"

"Look, I don't really give a—wait, _me?_ "

Momoko nodded in response. "Why else would they be green? It's your signature color!"

I blinked a couple of times and actually looked at the outfits, realizing that they were, indeed, green. Rolling my eyes, I stated, "Neither."

Momoko pouted. "Fine. Miyako, any luck over there?"

"I found a dress, but Kaoru-san would obviously say no!" I heard Miyako say from another aisle as I turned to stare at the rack of clothes.

"Well, darn it all, then," I heard Momoko mutter under her breath.

"Why are you guys even going shopping today? We went shopping yesterday, didn't we?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Yesterday was for us!" Momoko replied, rolling her eyes at me as though it was such an obvious answer.

"Today is for you, Kaoru-san!" I then heard Miyako say from the other aisle.

"But I don't want any new clothes," I stated bluntly. "If anything, I'd rather go into a video game store."

"Kaoru, why do you have to ruin all of the fun?" Momoko asked, pouting slightly.

"Well, excuse me for wanting to go to a video game store and not a clothing store," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"Then how about we go to a video game store? Just for a change of pace," I heard Miyako say.

Blinking a couple of times, completely dumbfounded, I asked, "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious, Kaoru-san."

Quickly, I grabbed the two of them and dragged them towards a video game store on the next floor, despite both of them saying that I should let them go. Hell, I don't even care! It's not every day that I can actually drag these two to a video game store, for crying out loud!

* * *

"Someone tell me how the hell this happened again."

"It's because you had to drag us there, Kaoru!"

"Momoko-san, there's no need to blame Kaoru-san."

"Miyako, it's because of her that we're now being chased by boys!"

"Hey, it's just you two, not me," I stated, rolling my eyes. "They all think I'm a guy, so…" My voice trailed off as I started grinning. "Besides, it's not every day when you get to see very attractive females in a video game store."

"Yeah, but the fact that they're _chasing_ us is just simply absurd!" Momoko exclaimed.

"Well, at least we've lost them, you two, so just calm down," Miyako stated, looking around.

Looking around as well, I found that we were in another clothing store, which made me frown immensely. "Someone tell me why we haven't been thrown out yet."

"Out of what?" Miyako asked, walking over to a rack and looking at the clothes.

"The mall. We were running around."

"The security guards probably had to handle those crazy lunatics," Momoko replied before then asking, "Why didn't we just run to the food court instead? I'm hungry…"

"Now that you mention it, all of that running has made me hungry as well," Miyako then added, walking back towards us.

"Same here, but isn't there a high probability that those guys are probably in the food court?" I replied, raising an eyebrow.

Momoko tilted her head slightly, pondering for a moment before her face lit up with realization. "Oh, I know!" Pointing at me, she then exclaimed, "Kaoru, you can get food for us!"

"Hell no!" I yelled. "Either we go together or we're not going at all! No way in hell am I gonna deal with those dudes!"

"Why not, Kaoru-san?" Miyako asked, pouting slightly.

"They might recognize me! I'm not going!"

Momoko merely groaned. "Can't we just scare them away somehow?"

"I'd suggest kicking their asses—"

"Kaoru-san!"

"Miyako, you have to admit it's a good idea!" Sighing, I then muttered, "But there are those damn security guards, so we can't really do anything…" Pondering for a moment, I frowned before grinning at the two. "Hey, why not just get those guys to buy lunch for us?"

"Kaoru-san!"

"What? It's a good idea! They'll leave us alone, too!"

"No, they won't, Kaoru-san."

"You say that as though you know it from experience…"

Miyako raised an eyebrow at me, giving me a look.

I blinked a couple of times and resisted the urge to slap my forehead with the palm of my hand after coming to a realization. This is _Miyako_ here. _The_ Miyako Gotokuji that has nearly every single boy after her because of her charismatic personality!

"How about we head to a sweets store on the next floor?" Momoko asked, grinning.

"Hell no!" I exclaimed.

"Why not?"

"You're going to get hyper from all of that candy!"

"It's better than no food! Besides, it's next door to a store that sells refreshments and stuff!"

I blinked a couple of times at Momoko. "Why didn't you just say so, then?"

Momoko shrugged before giving me a look. "I was more focused on the fact that we were being _chased by lunatics!_ "

"Oh, so you're blaming me for—"

"You two need to calm down!" Miyako stated before sighing and added, "Look, how about we just head on up to the next floor to find that store? Afterward, we can eat and discuss some more things there. Does that sound alright with you two?"

I merely shrugged before grimacing and stating, "Just as long as it's not another clothing store."

Momoko shrugged as well, but smiled. "I'm fine with that."

Smiling, Miyako then nodded her head and let Momoko take the lead to guide us to that store.

* * *

Time had passed and it was now an hour to midnight. I was pretty much just laying in bed, wearing green shorts and a white t-shirt. Butch hadn't come around at all so far, even though his dog form, Takeshi, was around, so I could only conclude that Butch and his brothers split up their forms once again. Momoko and Miyako concluded about this with Brick, Takeo, Boomer, and Takumi.

Actually, he hadn't been coming around for a while, and that was what worried me. I mean, sure, I was happy, but the fact that he hadn't been showing up consecutively just pretty much showed that something was going on…but what?

I merely frowned as I tried to figure out what was going on. Butch had pretty much acted like his perverted self whenever he came over at night, but other than that, there wasn't much of a difference. So, basically, I _shouldn't_ be worrying, but…

"I just keep on getting a bad feeling about this," I muttered out loud before laying down on my right side instead of my back.

"Bad feeling? What about?"

I quickly sat up and turned my head to find Butch sitting in on the floor of my room with his legs crossed directly in front of my bed. He was grinning and had his chin in the palm of his hand, with that same arm having its elbow on his corresponding knee. The other arm, though, was completely relaxed and was simply laying lazily in front of him on his other knee. His eyes were once again strangely dark—almost pitch black, in fact—and his hair seemed spikier than usual, but that mischievous look in his eyes… I honestly didn't like this situation.

"Well?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me while grinning still. "I don't have all night, you know."

I blinked a couple of times before glaring at him. "Just where have you been for the past couple of days?"

"Why do you ask? Did you miss me?"

I rolled my eyes and replied sarcastically, "Yeah, like I'd miss a perverted jackass like you."

"Admit it, you missed me," I heard him say before chuckling.

"Momoko and Miyako missed your brothers; I, on the other hand, did not," I stated, narrowing my eyes at him.

Grinning as he raised both of his hands in surrender, he stated, "Alright, fine. Be in denial about it, if you want." Sighing, he then stood up, which surprised me honestly, so I quickly backed up, already knowing what would happen. Chuckling, he stated, "Relax, I'm not here to do anything."

"Oh, like I should believe you," I retorted, narrowing my eyes even more at him.

"I'm only here to talk, Kaoru," he stated, having a stern look on his face. He placed his hands inside the front pockets of his black jeans and it was then I noticed that he was just wearing a simple dark green t-shirt with those jeans.

"Okay, what about?"

Sighing, he went over to the side of my bed without a word.

Again, I resisted the urge to back away as he sat down, but once he looked at me with those eyes, I flinched. "Well, are you gonna tell me?"

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen closely, alright?" He stated as he turned around to face me. When I nodded, he then stated, "My brothers and I have been gone for these past couple of days for a reason. We're…having problems."

"What sort of problems?"

Butch was silent for a while before stating, "You can ask the Professor that."

"Wait, the Professor? You guys have been at the Professor's?"

"Well, yeah. We needed to give him samples of our DNA."

I frowned, obviously not liking where this is going, but I stayed silent.

Sighing, Butch continued on, "Look, to put it bluntly, my brothers and I aren't going to live for long." When my eyes went wide, he then added quickly, "No, that doesn't mean we're dying. What I mean to say is that this Saturday is the night of the full moon for this month."

"So?"

Butch sighed once more. "This Saturday marks the beginning of the second year… You know, after Mojo made us into the way we are now. Remember when I told you about how my brothers and I aged by about seven years or so when we were first changed?" When I nodded, he nodded as well and then stated, "Yeah, well, that's because one human year counts as seven dog years."

I blinked a couple of times. "I…don't understand where you're going with this. You guys can easily separate your forms, can't you?"

"Separating our forms doesn't deny us as one whole being, Kaoru," he replied before sighing. "When this Saturday comes along, I…won't have this exact human body. Neither will my brothers."

"And what the hell does that mean?"

He narrowed his eyes at me suddenly, which caused me to flinch slightly. "It means that we won't be eighteen anymore. We'll be around the age of twenty-five once Saturday comes around."

My eyes went wide. "Wait, but—"

"It's because of the fact that we're turned into mere mutts, Kaoru," he interrupted. "One human year counts as seven dog years. Since our dog forms are technically more dominant than our human forms, we'll have no choice but to age by seven years by this Saturday." Sighing, he then added, "That's why I said we won't live for long. If this continues at this rate, my brothers and I will die off in…less than a decade from now, and that's _only_ because of old age."

"Only because of old age?"

"Other factors contribute to it as well, Kaoru," he stated softly before pulling me closer. At first, I protested, but the minute he had his arms around me and hugged me tightly, I had no choice but to comply, since I couldn't move at all. Both of my hands were against his chest and I felt my face heat up slightly, since he was burying his head in the crook of my neck.

"What other factors?" I managed to ask without stuttering (thank God for that).

"Our molecular structure," he replied softly and I felt his breath against my neck, which made my face heat up even more. "It's basically starting to break down. That's all the Professor said to us when we visited him today."

I blinked a couple of times. "Wait, what?"

He pulled away from me and stated, "What I'm saying, Kaoru, is that even if my brothers and I live long enough to be twenty-five years old this Saturday, we'll eventually end up dying."

At that moment, I felt everything, even time, suddenly stopped. My throat suddenly felt dry and honestly, I had no idea how to respond, so I merely stayed silent. Perhaps that explained why his eyes were starting to look darker than usual, along with the rest of his appearance…

"Understand?"

His voice quickly broke my train of thoughts, causing me to flinch slightly before nodding. I still stayed silent, avoiding to look him directly in the eyes. Why couldn't I exactly look at him? And to boot, I couldn't help but wonder how Momoko and Miyako were handling this piece of news. All of a sudden, I felt his hand against my left cheek, causing me to look directly at him.

Grinning, he asked, "For one night, will you obey? Just let me do whatever I want to you…but I promise that I won't go that far. Is that alright with you?"

For some reason, I couldn't help but nod. Before I knew it, I found myself getting kissed senseless by Butch with his roaming hands as he pushed me gently back against my bed and we stayed like that for nearly the entire night.


	20. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: ...OH MY GOD, THIS FANFIC IS ALMOST DONE.
> 
> Kaoru: Yeah, that's great, so LET ME OUT OF HERE ALREADY!
> 
> Me: I REFUSE.
> 
> Kaoru: WHY?!
> 
> Me: BECAUSE YOU'LL KILL ME D8
> 
> Kaoru: IT'LL BE A SWIFT DEATH!
> 
> Butch: Now, now, Kaoru-chan, no killing~ c:
> 
> Kaoru: =_= Shut up, you freaking -
> 
> Me: OKAY, LET'S BEGIN THE CHAPTER, SHALL WE? 8D

I found myself waking up to the sound of my cell phone vibrating. (I started having my phone on vibrate, since I didn't want my parents to accidentally wake up if my phone went off in the middle of the night.) Not wanting to get out of bed, I fumbled around on the table nearby for my cell. When I finally had it in my hand, I looked at the caller ID to find that it was none other than Momoko calling me. Quickly, I answered it and held it against my ear.

Yawning, I asked groggily, "Hello?"

_"Kaoru!"_

Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was around three in the morning. "Momoko, do you have any idea what time it is?"

_"I know, but Brick needs to speak with Butch, so can you hand the phone over to him?"_

I shrugged, still feeling sleepy and immediately, I started poking at Butch, who was laying beside me. The freaking jackass had his arms around my waist, so I couldn't really move around that much.

Butch groaned softly and buried his face into the crook of my neck before muttering, "Five more minutes…"

I felt a hot sensation on my cheeks, but sighing, I managed to whisper harshly, "It's for you, jackass."

He opened one eye at me. "That's a nice way to greet your lover when he wakes up after you."

I merely glared at him, especially since I didn't want to respond to _that word_ , before stating, "Brick wants to talk to you."

Butch groaned and immediately, I felt one of his hands snake up my stomach. "Can't he wait until morning?"

"It _is_ morning," I replied, feeling my cheeks grow hotter. Immediately, I felt his lips against my neck, leaving a trail of kisses up and down before settling down in one spot. Feeling my cheeks grow even hotter than earlier, I then stated, "Three, to be exact."

He groaned in response as I felt his lips brush against my neck before whispering softly, "Well, can't he wait until dawn or something?"

_"Butch! Dude, are you there?!"_

Butch sighed in defeat and pulled away from me while snatching the phone out of my hands. Sitting up, he held it against his ear and stated, "I'm here. Couldn't this have waited until later?"

I slowly sat up as well, even though I couldn't exactly hear the conversation. Of course, it was then I realized something: Butch was shirtless. _Shirtless_. My eyes went wide while he continued to speak on the phone.

"Damn. Now?" Butch asked, scowling.

I quickly looked around the room to see if his shirt was anywhere in sight. Looking down near my bedside, I then found…my t-shirt and shorts there. My eyes went even wider. I glanced at Butch, who was still scowling as he was listening to Brick on the phone before glancing down at myself. My eyes grew even wider.

I was wearing _Butch's shirt_.

 _How the hell did this happen?! And when did my—no, wait._ Quickly, I then pulled the t-shirt's collar away from me before glancing down at myself once more and sighing in relief.

"I told you I wouldn't go that far."

I flinched immediately and looked at Butch, who was handing my cell phone back to me. Snatching it away from him, I slowly placed it back onto the table while still looking at him. He was smirking at me, but once again, his eyes seemed completely pitch black and his hair was spikier than usual, which caused me frown.

"I have to go, so can I have my shirt back?" He asked, smirking even more.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I replied, "Only if you turn around."

Butch then gave me a pout and whined softly, "But I already saw you in your bra and panties!"

" _Turn around_ ," I interrupted, glaring at him.

He smirked in amusement before turning around. Quickly, I took his shirt off and threw it at him. Immediately, I stated while narrowing my eyes at him, "Don't turn around yet."

"Okay, okay," he replied as he started to put his shirt on. Somehow, I could tell he was grinning…

I then quickly grabbed my t-shirt and shorts from the floor after standing up from my bed and got dressed. Turning around, I found that Butch was already gone, which made me frown. Before I could say anything, though, I found myself having something wrapped around my waist. Immediately, I turned around. After all, it was obvious who the culprit was, so I merely glared at him.

I couldn't even say anything, since he was already starting to kiss me senseless as he pulled me closer. I could hear my heart pounding loudly, but I managed to ignore it, especially the temptation, and pulled my head away in succession. Of course, that didn't stop him from starting to attack my neck with a bunch of kisses.

Feeling my cheeks grow hotter, I asked softly, "Shouldn't you get going?"

He then pulled away before staring at me in response.

I could see those dark green eyes of his again, which made me relax. "Where are you going, anyway?"

Once again, he didn't respond and continued to stare at me.

I frowned back at him. "You know what? I should go with you."

"No."

Blinking a couple of times, I then asked, "Hah?"

"You're not going. You're going to stay here and go back to bed," he stated. It was then that I realized that he had a stern look on his face.

Frowning, I stated, "Not until you tell me where you're going."

Sighing, he then replied, "The Professor's."

My eyes went wide. "What? Why?"

His lips immediately brushed against my forehead as a response, unfortunately.

"It's not because of…" My voice trailed off.

After pulling away, he sighed. "We'll be fine. Just go back to bed."

"How am I supposed to sleep knowing that you could—" Honestly, I couldn't continue my words, so I quickly shut my mouth. I didn't know why. It should've been easy, but… _God damn it all._ I felt a lump in my throat growing as I stared at the floor.

He tilted my head back up and I felt his lips press gently against mine. Both of my hands slowly reached up to cling onto his shirt. I honestly felt desperate, but I didn't care. When he pulled away, I couldn't help but frown back at him as I stared directly at his dark green eyes.

Grinning at me, he stated, "We'll be fine. We each have a beautiful girl waiting for us, after all."

I felt my cheeks get even hotter, so I didn't bother to respond, especially since he quickly kissed my cheek.

"Don't worry, alright?" He asked softly.

I frowned. "But—"

"And no, you're not coming with me."

I narrowed my eyes at him in response.

Grinning, he then whispered, "Good night, Kaoru."

Before I knew it, all I saw was darkness.

* * *

I suddenly woke up to find that it was already morning. Looking at my alarm clock, I saw that it was after eight. Blinking a couple of times, I found myself recalling what had happened about five hours ago.

" _Shouldn't you get going?"_

_Silence._

" _Where are you going, anyway?"_

_Silence._

" _You know what? I should go with you."_

_"No."_

" _Hah?"_

" _You're not going. You're going to stay here and go back to bed."_

" _Not until you tell me where you're going."_

" _The Professor's."_

My eyes went wide. Immediately, I went to get changed and dashed off to the Professor's laboratory and house, despite my mother yelling at me that I should eat breakfast and all. I didn't really care at the moment. All I could think about was how Butch was doing, and honestly, that just gave me even more motivation to run even faster.

Eventually, I found myself standing before the door to the Professor's place, along with Momoko and Miyako standing right outside the door as well. Panting, I then asked, "You two aren't gonna go in?"

"The Professor won't let us go in," I heard Miyako reply softly.

"What?!"

"Ken won't let us in, either," Momoko added in a soft voice.

I continued to pant in order to catch my breath. Gulping softly, I asked, "Why won't they let us in?"

"Ken says it's the boys' orders."

"You've got to be kidding me!" I yelled before going up to the door. Just as I was about to start kicking it, Momoko and Miyako started to hold me back. "Let me go, damn it!"

"Kicking it won't do any good, Kaoru-san!" Miyako yelled.

Quickly, I jerked their grasps off of me and stated angrily, "I can't just stand around and do nothing while they're in there!"

"Kaoru, that's the only thing we _can_ do at the moment!" Momoko exclaimed.

Glancing at the two, I could tell that they were both on the brink of crying. Sighing, I nodded and went to go lean against the wall of the house. Miyako merely stood, staring at the ground while Momoko turned around to look up at the sky.

Eventually, the three of us heard the door open and so we rushed to it, only to find the Professor standing in the doorway.

He nodded to us. "Girls."

"Professor," we stated back.

"How are the boys?" Momoko asked.

Biting her lip, Miyako then asked, "They're alright, aren't they?"

"It's better if we discuss these matters inside, so come on in," the Professor replied before walking away.

The girls and I each looked at one another, having a concerned expression on our faces. Momoko went in first while Miyako and I followed her in afterward. The three of us walked into the regular old living room we'd always hang out in. The Professor was standing, waiting for us to sit and so we went to sit on the couch.

The Professor sighed before stating, "Girls, I can assure you that they've made it."

Immediately, the three of us broke out into smiles, but once we saw the stern look on the Professor's face, our smiles faded away.

"However," the Professor began, "they…" His voice trailed off as he began to hesitate.

"They what?" I asked. When the Professor didn't respond, I then yelled, "They what?!"

"They went into a state of… Well, it's better if I show you, probably." Immediately, the Professor headed off towards his laboratory and the three of us went after him without objection. He ended up heading towards a room that required a PIN number to open. Walking down the stairs, we eventually stood before some sort of huge window before us.

Through that window, we saw the boys each inside a pod that matched their respective color.

"They lived, yes, but they each went into a state of comatose," the Professor stated softly. "For now, they're just resting…I hope."

My eyes went wide at this.

"What do you mean by that?" Miyako asked, her eyes wide as well.

"The boys aren't exactly humans, like you three," the Professor stated as he sighed. "You girls know that they were created by Mojo. Apparently, even though his experiment succeeded, the boys were _bound_ to have their molecular structures break down over time. The only reason why it even succeeded in the first place was because of the Chemical Z he had used in order to create them. Knowing Mojo, he most likely didn't know this and after experimenting on them once more, well, not only did it cause them to age and become dogs, it also caused their molecular structures to break down a lot faster." Sighing, he then added, "Theoretically, their molecular structures were supposed to break down months ago…" Immediately, he glanced at the three of us.

"What is it?" I asked, blinking a couple of times.

"Well, I suspect that perhaps your white light energy probably helped the boys out somehow and thus, let them live a bit longer. Theoretically, of course."

I blinked a couple of times and turned my attention back onto Butch through the window.

"Since the boys are technically artificial humans, they're stronger than normal humans like us, so don't worry," the Professor stated before smiling. "They'll live. For now, all we can do is wait."

The girls and I looked at one another before looking through the window at the boys.

"How long, Professor?" I heard Momoko ask. "When will they wake up?"

I then heard the Professor sigh. "I…honestly can't determine that. I'm sorry."

The girls and I didn't even bother to say another word as we continued to stare at the boys through the window. Momoko had both of her hands pressed against the window, leaning towards it as much as possible. Miyako, on the other hand, had one hand against the window while having a sad look on her face. As for me, I just stared at Butch intensely while biting my tongue on purpose.

I could tell that Momoko and Miyako both felt like crying; they were still on the brink of tears, after all. Biting my tongue was a way to help keep the lump in my throat fade away. As I sighed heavily, I knew one thing for sure: Momoko, Miyako, and I would wait for them to wake up, no matter how long it'd take.


	21. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: A bit of a short chapter~. Next chapter is the epilogue, by the way!
> 
> Kaoru: Yeah, that's great. It's coming to an end, so CAN YOU LET ME OUT NOW?!
> 
> Me: Not yet! D:
> 
> Kaoru: WHEN?! =_=
> 
> Me: When the epilogue is over c:
> 
> Kaoru: ...Butch, if you know a way out of here, please tell me.
> 
> Butch: I do, but I don't want to~.
> 
> Kaoru: ...I hate you -_-
> 
> Butch: And I love you c:
> 
> Kaoru: If you really do feel that way about me, then you'd help me out of here! =_=
> 
> Butch: Normally, I would, but since we're in the same room together, I don't mind~.
> 
> Kaoru: ...You're a jackass.
> 
> Butch: That you love~.
> 
> Kaoru: GO TO HELL.
> 
> Me: Anyway, enjoy the chapter, people! 8D

Time had passed and before I knew it, the first day of school came around. Momoko, Miyako, and I hung out with each other daily. At first, we were really quiet to the point of where it felt plain awkward, so I tried to bring some humor into the conversation. Eventually, we lightened up and we were able to hang out like normal. Ever since that day, we would visit the Professor and Ken daily, in order to see the boys if they had woken up yet or not. We'd spend at least two to three hours there, just staring at them and waiting for them to wake up. Sadly, every day ended up in failure, since they still hadn't woken up.

The Professor told us that because the process was successful, the boys' human forms and their canine forms were now separate beings, so basically, I get to see Takeshi every single morning. He'd always have his tail wagging and he'd look as healthy as ever. There were even times of when I'd find Miyako going on a walk with Takumi or Momoko and Kuriko playing with Takeo.

But aside from all of that, Momoko and Miyako were currently dragging me down the stairs against my will and despite my protests.

"Can't anyone in this house get some decent sleep?!" I yelled.

"It's the first day of school, Kaoru-san!" I heard Miyako reply happily.

"And knowing you, you wouldn't get out of bed, so Miyako and I decided to come over!" Momoko added.

I merely groaned in response before then yelling, "Then at least let me change!"

"You can eat breakfast in your current clothes! Right, Miyako?"

"Yup!" I heard Miyako say before then adding, "So come on, Kaoru-san!"

Sighing in defeat, I let myself get dragged down successfully down the stairs and to the kitchen. From there, the three of us ate breakfast that my mother made. I pretty much wasn't ready while the other two were, so I went to go change. The two of us then started to head off to school and since we were walking there, I couldn't skateboard or else I'd leave these two behind.

When we arrived there, the three of us pretty much went to get our schedules. It was just one of those typical days back with everyone catching up with each other, how they were doing, and so on and so forth. I couldn't say much about it, since I didn't want to and I didn't find any point to it, but also because I was currently trying to find my classes.

Momoko and Miyako had different classes than me, so I was pretty much on my own. Well, we were all on our own, except for last period, since we had that class together. Once finding my first period class, I sighed softly and went in, determined to endure the first day of school.

* * *

A couple of hours had already passed and it was already lunch. Momoko, Miyako, and I were pretty much discussing on how our classes were so far. Miyako seemed pretty fine about her class, aside from the fact that she was, once again, attracting certain stares and looks from the opposite gender. Momoko, on the other hand, was whining of how one of her teachers was being completely unfair towards her, just because she got caught sneaking in some food.

"I mean, you'd think they'd let it go on the first day!" Momoko exclaimed, pouting.

"Teachers are like that, Momoko," I replied, rolling my eyes. "It's your fault for sneaking food in, anyway."

"I was hungry, though!"

"Nonetheless, how were your classes, Kaoru-san?" Miyako asked, tilting her head slightly.

Scoffing, I replied, "Boring. They basically said the same thing over and over to the point of where I could predict the next thing they'd say."

Both Miyako and Momoko giggled at this, which I didn't mind because I managed to grin somehow. The three of us were currently walking around the school, just for the hell of it. We pretty much already ate, so there wasn't really any harm in it. Eventually, the three of us ended up walking near the front of the school and it was there that we saw of how all of the girls were acting weirdly. Miyako, Momoko, and I each had a skeptic look on our faces when we looked at the girls and at each other.

"Hey," I called out to two nearby female students.

"Yes?" they both sighed dreamily.

I raised my eyebrow even higher at this, but I then gestured to myself, Momoko, and Miyako. "Mind telling us what's going on here?"

"Go to the front gate and you'll see," one of them said before giggling.

"Do you think maybe they're taken?" the other asked.

"Idiot! Of course, they're taken!"

"Seriously?!"

It was by this time that the two started walking off, but I didn't dare to stop them. Tidbits of their conversation could be heard anyway.

"I'm serious!"

"Did you ask them?"

"Of course, I did!"

"Jeez, all of the hot guys always end up being taken! I envy whoever their girlfriends are, then!"

Momoko, Miyako, and I still had skeptic looks on our faces as we heard their conversation. We then looked around to see that nearly every female had the same look on their faces. In fact, I overheard some of their conversations as well.

"They look like they're in college."

I heard a giggle before a girl replied, "They're pretty hot for college guys."

"I know, right? Why aren't boys at this school as hot as them?"

"You know, I can't help but wonder why they're here."

" _Obviously_ , they're waiting for someone!"

"Oh, do you think that maybe their girlfriends go here, then?"

"If so, they're pretty lucky! I envy them!"

I merely groaned softly under my breath. "Are all of these girls just obsessing over a couple of guys?" Shaking my head in disbelief, I turned my head around to face only Momoko. Blinking a couple of times, I asked, "Momoko, where's Miyako?"

Momoko blinked a couple of times and turned around a couple of times. "I don't know where she went."

Before I could even respond, though, I heard someone scream, " _Eh?!_ Miyako Gotokuji has a boyfriend?!"

At this, my eyes went completely wide and snapped my head towards the front gate that now was surrounded by a lot of people. On the other hand, Momoko was already running off. I yelled out her name, but she ignored me and continued to run. Before I knew it, she disappeared into the crowd near the front gate.

After a couple of seconds when she entered the crowd, I heard someone then shout, "That guy is Momoko Akutsutsumi's _boyfriend?!_ "

My eyes went even wider once I had spot that black spiky hair. Before I knew it, I found myself running off towards the front gate and weaving my way through the crowd successfully, I managed to step into a small clearing. It was there that I faced none other than _him_.

His black spiky hair.

His pale skin.

His piercing dark green eyes.

And, of course, that trademark smirk of his.

"Took you long enough," he stated before winking.

Instead of responding a smart remark like I normally would, I did the one thing that everyone—and myself—least expected for me to do: Jump into his arms and bury my head into his chest. I felt his arms wrap around my waist as people, especially the girls, now shouting that I was the girlfriend of "one of the hot guys," as they stated.

"Missed me, didn't you?" I heard him whisper before chuckling.

"Shut up and enjoy it while it lasts, you jackass," I whispered back, narrowing my eyes at him while grinning playfully.

He merely smirked even more in response.

As soon as he started leaning in towards my face, a voice could be heard from far away, so I slightly pulled away from Butch and turned around. Glancing at Momoko and Miyako, I had seen that they had done the same as me. The crowd then started to make some sort of pathway and before I knew it, there stood before me was the principal of the school.

"You three!" the principal exclaimed, glaring at us.

Momoko, Miyako, and I looked at each other and pulling away from the boys, we stepped forward towards the principal. Sighing, I then asked as I gestured to the three of us, "You mean us, sir?"

"No, not you girls. The boys behind you!"

The three of us blinked a couple of times before we all exclaimed, "What?!"

He then walked around us, now facing the boys while glaring at them. Momoko, Miyako, and I once more had skeptic looks on our faces as we stared at the boys.

Brick was narrowing his eyes at the principal, as though he was trying to figure out something, but then his face lit with realization, since his eyes went wide. Both Butch and Boomer noticed this and raised an eyebrow at him, but Brick made no response. Instead, Brick continued to stare at the principal.

"You three were the ones that vandalized my school!" the principal shrieked, glaring at them immensely.

Butch's face lit with realization as well, since his eyes went wide. Turning to Brick, he exclaimed, " _Dude!_ I thought you said that no one saw!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know that they saw us?!"

"Security cameras, maybe?"

"I took care of those, _remember?_ "

"And I took care of the motion sensors," Boomer then added.

"Apparently, you boys have forgotten about _witnesses_ ," the principal interrupted before they could continue bickering, narrowing his eyes even more.

Sighing, Brick stated, "Well, there's only one thing to do in a situation like this." Pausing, he then yelled, "RUN!"

The three of them then started to run off and, of course, the principal pulled out his whistle and started whistling. Immediately, the security guards somehow came and, well, they all started chasing the boys.

The boys started to slow down once they were across the street and they yelled, "We'll pick you girls up after school!"

"Not under my watch!" we then heard the principal yell.

And, of course, the boys ran away immediately, once the principal and the security guards continued to chase after them.

Momoko, Miyako, and I merely blinked a couple of times at this scene. We glanced at each other, back at the scene, and then burst out laughing.

"You know," Miyako began as she started to calm down. "I can't help but wonder when they had the time to vandalize this school, or how they even did it."

"Well, you know those guys," I replied, shrugging. "It's no surprise that they managed to vandalize something. Though…" As if on cue, more of the principal's yelling could be heard, which made me snicker. "I have to say that they pretty much failed at it."

"But they're still lovable," Momoko added, smiling happily.

Miyako nodded in agreement, smiling as well. "And they're ours."

Of course, I merely grinned at the two, before nodding in agreement as well. It was obvious that the three of us were happy that the boys were finally awake, and right now, that's all that mattered to us. After all, no matter how much the three of us would deny it, our feelings were obvious. We, The PowerPuff Girls Z, heroines of Tokyo City, fell for none other than the RowdyRuff Boys Z, our very own enemies, and no matter what, our feelings for them will never change—ever.


	22. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I apologize for the fact that I took so long with the epilogue. I haven't been feeling well these days, actually, so I never got into the mood of writing, especially with school coming around the corner.
> 
> Kaoru: ...So can I come out now?
> 
> Me: I said at the end of the epilogue, Kaoru! D:
> 
> Kaoru =_=
> 
> Butch: -chuckles-
> 
> Kaoru: Butch...SHUT UP.
> 
> Butch: And just how do you plan on doing that? -smirks-
> 
> Kaoru: ...JUST SHUT UP!
> 
> Me: Well, anyway, enjoy the epilogue~.

Many months have passed since that day and it was already summer vacation. The Professor somehow had gotten the boys enrolled at Tokyo University when they awoke from their long slumber. Momoko, Miyako, and I pretty much plan going to Tokyo University as well, so when we finished our final year in high school, well, you could say that we were pretty ecstatic.

Nonetheless, right now, I was walking around town by myself. Butch and his brothers had to do a year's worth of community service because of what they did to my high school. The principal was _seriously_ not happy about the fact that the girls and I were dating them, either, but it was all right. He was only worried about us, after all, unlike most stuck-up principals.

Momoko went job hunting. She's pretty much trying to get a job at any store that sells any sweets. Miyako, on the other hand, was helping out her grandmother around the house. So all in all, I was pretty much on my own for the day.

Sighing heavily, I continued to walk on the sidewalk, looking at the sky. Well, that is until someone bumped into me and I ended up falling down.

Glaring, I quickly stood up and yelled, "Watch where you're going, will you?!"

"Hey, I'm in a rush, okay?"

I blinked a couple of times and then narrowed my eyes at the person before me. When the person looked at me, my eyes went even wider as I yelled, "Dai?!"

He blinked back at me. "Kaoru?"

"W-What the hell?! I thought you were busy throughout the entire year!"

"Yeah, but we get a week off, so…" He grinned at me, winking. "Figured I may as well visit my family, since they must've missed me."

I rolled my eyes, but grinned nonetheless. "Mom's gonna be psyched that you're back. Same with Dad and Sho."

He then pat my head a couple of times while grinning. The two of us then started walking the other way, with his arm hung around my shoulder. "So, Kaoru," he began while grinning still. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

I blinked a couple of times and it was then my eyes went wide. _Wait, he doesn't know about Butch! Oh, crap! I already have Dad on my case about it still!_

We stopped at a stop sign, waiting for the cars to pass on by before we continued walking even more. When I glanced at him, he was raising an eyebrow at me, but that questioning look soon turned into one that was full of suspicion.

Narrowing his eyes, he stated, "Kaoru…"

"Uh, lots of things happened," I muttered while clearing my voice awkwardly.

"Meaning?"

When I glanced at him, he was raising an eyebrow at me even more. I _really_ don't wanna tell him now…

"Well…" My voice trailed off as he continued to stare at me suspiciously while we walked down the street. _Oh, that's right!_ Clearing my voice, I stated calmly, "We have a pet dog now."

"Seriously?" Dai asked, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded in response, grinning. _And you have no idea how much trouble that actually caused…_

"And that's it?" Dai asked, still raising an eyebrow.

I quickly nodded in my head, still grinning.

He frowned slightly in response, but shrugged it off. "Whatever. So what's the dog's name?"

"Takeshi."

"Who came up with it?"

"Sho."

Dai snickered slightly. "Well, as long as the little brat's happy, it's all good."

Chuckling, I replied, "Takeshi's not that bad, you know."

"I know."

"How can you know if you haven't met him yet?"

"'Cause dogs are cool. Period."

I found myself laughing at my older brother's lame reason, but hell, it was nice for him to be back. Plus, Butch wouldn't be around today, so he wouldn't have to find out about Butch and all. Before I knew it, the two of us ended up before the house and just as I was about to grab my keys, someone already opened the door.

My eyes went wide at the person that opened it.

"Hey, Kaoru-chan~!"

I blinked a couple of times in response, staring at none other than Butch. Glancing at Dai's arm, I inwardly flinched.

He looked at Dai and frowned, seeing of how his arm was slung around my shoulder. "Who the hell are you and what do you think you're doing to my Kaoru?"

_Yup, I was expecting this. Oh, jeez…_

" _Your_ Kaoru?" Dai asked, narrowing his eyes at Butch. All of a sudden, Dai started stepping forward and grabbed Butch by his collar. "And just what exactly gives you the right to call her that?"

Butch smirked.

I, on the other hand, flinched. _I'm screwed._

"I'm her boyfriend, asshole," Butch replied, smirking still as he glared darkly at Dai.

Scoffing, Dai stated darkly back, "Boyfriend? Please. As if Kaoru would go out with someone like you."

 _Dai somewhat has a point_ , I thought, grinning nervously. _Normally, I wouldn't go out with someone like that, but this is_ Butch _we're talking about here…_ The _Butch of_ the _RowdyRuff Boys Z._

Clearing my voice, I stated, "Dai, look—"

"No, it's fine, Kaoru," Dai interrupted, still glaring darkly at Butch. "I got this. Just leave it to me."

"But, Dai—"

"I got this. Just trust me."

 _Dai, I_ do _trust you! It's just… This is Butch we're talking about here! He might kill you, damn it! If you value your freaking life, you should be trying to listen to me!_

"Oh, so the asshole thinks he can beat me, huh?" Butch stated darkly, tilting his head slightly. He had somewhat of a sadistic grin on his face, which made me flinch.

"Asshole? Oh, no, I think you're the asshole here, pretty boy," Dai replied, his stare becoming darker by the minute.

"Pretty boy? You're gonna have to do better than that."

"At least I try to stay away from using vulgar language."

"Says the hypocrite that cursed just less than a minute ago."

"I was merely restating what you had just said and, as a result, I just happened to insult you in the process—twice, if I may add."

I sighed heavily at these two while they suddenly started staring at each other intensely. Glancing back and forth between the two, I merely rolled my eyes before shaking my head. Pushing Butch out of the way, which caused the both of them to suddenly lose their composure, if I may add, I headed up the stairs while ignoring them calling out my name.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I then sighed heavily once more before frowning. "Men."

"KAORU!" I heard them yell once I went into my room. All of a sudden, I heard footsteps going up the stairs, so it merely made me sigh in exasperation once they opened my door.

"Have you two ever heard of knocking first?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Kaoru, seriously, who is this asshole and why the hell did he have his arm around you?!" Butch exclaimed while narrowing his eyes at Dai.

"Says the pretty boy that answered the door and is in our very house," Dai retorted, scowling.

" _Our?_ "

"Yes, _our!_ "

"Why you—"

"Takeshi!" I yelled, narrowing my eyes at Butch. He and his brothers still used their aliases, since they couldn't really use their RowdyRuff names in public. When the two of them finally looked at me, I then stated while nodding towards Dai, "Takeshi, meet my brother, Dai." Sighing heavily, I continued while rolling my eyes, "Dai, meet Takeshi, my idiotic _jackass_ of a boyfriend."

The two of them looked at each other and then back at me before yelling, "WAIT, SO HE'S—"

I quickly glared at the two, silencing them completely.

"So…" Butch began, blinking his eyes a couple of times before pointing at Dai. "Is he my brother-in-law now?"

My eyes went wide and at once, I felt flustered. In fact, I think my cheeks grew hot, but even so, I yelled, "No, he's not your brother-in-law! He's my older brother, damn it!"

"Exactly! So he's my brother-in-law!"

"No, he's not! We're not freaking married, you idiot!"

"Wait, back up," Dai interrupted. "So this pretty boy over here actually _is_ your boyfriend."

I nodded.

"No lie?"

I nodded again.

Dai frowned. "I thought you weren't into pretty boys."

"He's a jackass of a pretty boy," I replied, while rolling my eyes. "An annoying one, too."

"My point, _exactly_. Why are you going out with a guy like _him?_ " Dai then scowled while looking at Butch.

I shrugged, feeling a bit awkward. "Uh, how we got together is a bit…complicated."

"I'm all ears."

"Maybe for another time!" I exclaimed before pushing Dai out of my room.

Of course, he protested and was about to try to get back in before I slammed the door in his face and locked it. I heard him yelling at me to open the door, but eventually, he gave up and threatened Butch if he did anything to me while the two of us were in here. Once I heard his footsteps going down the stairs, I sighed in relief.

Glaring at Butch, I asked angrily, "And just why the hell were you in my house when you answered the door?"

"My brothers and I finished our day's worth of community service," he replied, grinning. He then sat down on my bed before sighing in exasperation. "Jeez… And we're already piled with university crap as it is."

"It's your fault for vandalizing the school," I retorted, rolling my eyes. "When did you three even have the time to do that?"

He then smirked, having that mischievous glint appear in his eyes. "It was before I ended up at the pound. We got bored one night and we just decided to do it for the hell of it. The three of us never thought that school was the one you girls were enrolled at."

I merely rolled my eyes in response as I leaned against the door.

"Still, I didn't think that guy was your brother," Butch stated, frowning slightly.

"Remember those shorts you wore?" I replied, raising an eyebrow while silently adding the fact that he stole them in my head. "Those were his lucky shorts."

"Why were they in your room?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're asking a tomboy that question, you know."

"True," I heard him say while I was looking out at the ceiling. Looking down at him, I saw of how he was standing up. Smirking, he walked over to me without another word.

Raising an eyebrow at him, I asked, "What the hell are you thinking?"

He merely leaned down, trapping me against the door entirely and that trademark of a smirk was still apparent on his face. It was obvious what he was planning, so I merely frowned, despite the fact that I felt my cheeks feeling a bit warm from the proximity. Seeing his smirk grow even more, I glared at him, not even bothering to say a word. Before I knew it, his lips were brushing against mine softly and I felt his tongue lightly lick against my bottom lip, causing my cheeks to grow even hotter, if that was possible.

At once, there was a huge thump coming from the door and I heard Dai yell, "Hey, pretty boy! You better not be doing anything to my baby sister!"

I sighed slightly and yelled back, "Dai, you know as well as I do that I'm not a baby anymore!" I felt my breath hitch slightly once Butch immediately pulled me away from the door and pinned me against a nearby wall, hoisting me up and attacking my neck with a trail of kisses. He was kissing that one spot—that very spot that was making me bite my lower lip as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I felt his hands travel towards my bottom and once realizing that he was squeezing them, I felt my cheeks grow even hotter as I let my legs wrap around him.

"Baby or not, you're still my baby sister!" I heard Dai yell angrily.

I felt myself hesitate because if Dai came in here, well, we'd be screwed—period. Hell, I know I locked the door, but knowing Dai, he probably had some sort of paper clip or something, for crying out loud!

Butch must've known that I was panicking, so I heard him shush me softly near my ear before I felt him squeeze my bottom again.

"Stop touching my ass, damn it," I whispered angrily, feeling my cheeks burn up even more.

Although I couldn't see his face, I knew very well that he was smirking. He then replied softly, "Just listen."

"Damn it!" I heard Dai yell before some more thumps could be heard against the door. "That's it! I'm coming—"

"Dai Matsubara!"

A slight pause. "Yeah, Mom?"

"Come down here this instant, young man!"

"But Mom—"

"I SAID TO COME DOWN HERE!"

Once again, a slight pause before I heard Dai reply, "Fine…" Immediately, I heard his footsteps heading down the stairs once more.

Sighing in relief, I stated, "For once, I'm actually thankful that my mother interfered."

Butch's response was, of course, none other than kissing my neck lightly while grunting softly.

I merely narrowed my eyes at this, feeling my breath hitch as he started kissing that spot once more. "Shouldn't you be working on…" My voice trailed off once he pulled himself closer, now kissing near my ears.

"On what, dear?"

 _If we weren't in this situation, I would've kicked his ass by now, I swear_ , I thought angrily in frustration. Seeing of how I didn't respond, I felt his light kisses on my skin starting again. They felt strangely hot and at once, I shook my head before stating, "You need to work on your university stuff?"

He pulled away, but still hoisting me up. His trademark of a smirk was there as he mocked, "'Stuff?'"

I glared at him. "Yeah, 'stuff.'"

"For your information, I finished all of that long ago," he replied. Before I could respond, though, I was suddenly pinned against my bed. How he did it so quickly, I didn't know, but he was now hovering over me, still smirking. Leaning down, he whispered, "Besides, this could count as part of my studying."

I glared at him. "What kind of studying?"

Immediately, I felt him give me a light peck on the lips before pulling away slightly. Lowering his voice, he stated huskily, "Studying the female human anatomy."

I scoffed softly before muttering, "Pervert…"

I didn't bother to protest from that point on. Then again, how could I? The boy's lips were on mine the entire time, so anything I'd say would be completely muffled. Well, not that I'm complaining, of course. As much as I hated to admit it, I was actually enjoying it.

"So…" he stated suddenly after pulling away. "Dai's my brother-in-law now."

"I already told you that we're not married, you idiot," I replied, narrowing my eyes.

Smirking at me, he then winked. "Not yet, we're not."

I felt my cheeks turn completely hot before he started attacking my neck, leaving light kisses everywhere. My response to this was sighing in content before his lips captured mine once more.

Looks like the two of us are definitely going to be stuck together for a _long_ time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: THE END! 8D
> 
> Kaoru: Great. Now, LET ME OUT OF HERE! =_=
> 
> Me: ...Fine. -dashes to the door, opens it, and hides behind couch-
> 
> \- silence -
> 
> Me: ... -peeks head out- o-o ?
> 
> \- door suddenly slams shut -
> 
> Me: O_O What the hell?! -dashes over and tries opening it, but realizes that it's locked-
> 
> Butch: We need the alone time~.
> 
> Me: ...AND YOU CAN'T LET ME SEE IT?!
> 
> Butch: I said "alone time," Dejiko. Clearly, I'm referring to me and Kaoru-chan here~.
> 
> Kaoru: YOU FREAKING JACKASS! =_=
> 
> Butch: Love you, too c:
> 
> Me: ...I repeat: AND YOU CAN'T LET ME SEE IT?! D8 I'M THE BUTCHxKAORU/BUTTERCUP FANGIRL HERE. COME ON!
> 
> \- silence -
> 
> Me: ...Well, at least I know that they're doing something... -grins- Well, anyway, thanks to everyone that's supported this fanfic for...wow, almost four years o_o -just checked- Although I can't give all of you my individual thanks (because frankly, that would be very time-consuming for me and I don't want to spam everyone's inbox with my thanks), I'd like to thank all of those that actually took their time to review, favorite, and follow this fanfic - not to mention, actually read it as well.
> 
> Again, thank you for all of the support, and thank you for so many reviews! To be honest, when I first started this fanfic, I didn't really think this would end up being so popular, haha. Anyway, again, thank you all so much (for...like the fifth time, probably, pffft)! And in case you're wondering, no, this won't have a sequel, but I will be working on other (and future) fanfics!
> 
> Bye everyone, and thanks for reading: "Takeshi Matsubara: Boy or Dog?" c:


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